Walking on Eggshells
by Gallade
Summary: It all started with a bikini contest. Silly? Yes. Harmless? No. Troublesome? You bet. Rated for sexual content, themes, and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I've been toying with this idea and working on this fic for over a year now and I'm glad you're here. I hope you enjoy! I've worked really hard on this.**

**(Usual disclaimer junk) Rated M for sexual content and themes and language. **

**Summary: It all started with a bikini contest. Silly? Yes. Harmless? No. Troublesome? You bet.**

**Also as a sidenote, some characters that may have died in the manga appear in this story alive. I won't name names to avoid spoilers, but I wanted certain ones alive. The Konoha 11 are all around 25 years old.**

* * *

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon in mid-April, and the weather was a promise that spring was here to stay. The birds were chirping, enjoying the clear skies no doubt, and a light breeze blew through the streets of Konoha. It was prime cloud-watching weather, much to the dismay of a disgruntled Shikamaru who had been forced to take over the duty of grocery shopping for mom. Days like this didn't come too often, and that only served to make Shikamaru work even faster so that he could get back to his favorite pastime.

That's why when he heard the voice of his former sensei call his name, he sighed somewhat disappointedly. Sure, he loved spending time and playing shogi with Asuma more than anything else, but right now he wanted to get back to the Nara household before mom chewed his head off. She had already put him in a sour mood by sending him on this shopping trip in the first place, claiming that 'cloud-watching was a waste of time,' and that he 'should be doing something for the family, not sitting around being an ass.'

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Asuma's voice called. Shikamaru turned around, barely able to see him over the mountain of groceries he was carrying.

"What is it, Asuma sensei?" He asked. Asuma smiled and let out a puff of smoke. "You've been chosen to be a judge for the young kunoichi bikini contest," he said. Shikamaru looked at him, confused. "Come again?" He asked in disbelief. "It's funny, for a second I thought you said I was judging a bikini contest."

Asuma chuckled. "That's exactly what I said. Well, co-judging, really."

Shikamaru frowned. "Who decided that?!"

Asuma gave an apologetic shrug and inhaled deeply from his cigarette. "It was voted on by the contestants themselves. They're all your colleagues. They believe you'll be fair and honest."

Shikamaru sighed, his patience thinning. "Since when did we ever have bikini contests here anyways? This sounds fishy," He said.

Asuma nodded and rubbed his neck. "I hear ya," he agreed. "I think it's strange too but apparently the Hokage thought it would be a good idea. Something about self-esteem issues…?"

Shikamaru held his gaze, unwavering. There weren't exactly too many self-esteem issues here except for a select few girls. There must be another reason for this.

"What a drag..." He sighed, trying to fake disinterest. This whole bikini contest thing wasn't all that interesting, but there was something more to this. There just _had _to be. And at the same time...

"So who's entering?" Shikamaru asked, genuinely curious. "Like, when you said 'young,' I hope you don't mean preteens."

Asuma chuckled. "I'm assuming 'young' means your age group," he said. "Ino got word about the contest way back and she wouldn't stop talking about it with Kurenai and everyone else."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed. "Figures…" he said. "Do you know who else is participating?" He pried further. Asuma shrugged and let out another puff of smoke. "You're asking the wrong guy. I was just told to tell you if I saw you. I have no clue about the details."

Shikamaru nodded understandingly. Asuma smirked. "Who is it that you're wondering about?" He asked knowingly. A surprised look flickered in Shikamaru's eyes for a moment, betraying his indifferent exterior. "It's no one in particular. I was just curious, that's all." He replied, looking to the side. _Damn, Asuma knew him too well. _

"Is she one of the girls in your year?" He pried. Shikamaru's cheeks reddened slightly as he swallowed. "It's no one," he urged, avoiding eye contact.

"It can't be Ino…" Asuma began. "That Hyuga girl?" Shikamaru was silent.

"It's pinky, isn't it?" Asuma teased. His accusation must have hit the nail on the head, because Shikamaru's blush darkened a few shades.

"…Is it really that obvious?" Shikamaru asked, looking embarrassed. His former sensei chuckled and brought his cigarette to his lips, taking in a breath and letting out a puff of smoke. "It is now that you told me. I thought you'd be tougher to crack, my friend. I just took a stab at it."

Shikamaru looked up at the sky and sighed heavily.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed of," Asuma continued. "She's a real fighter and one hell of a medic. She's definitely following in Lady Tsunade's footsteps."

Shikamaru looked at the groceries in his arms. His mom was going to kill him for taking so long.

"Anyways, sensei, I'd better get going. When is the competition?" He asked. If they wanted him to be a judge, then fine. He would humor them.

Asuma smiled. "Next Friday night."

* * *

Shikamaru sat down at the judging table, Neji on his left and Kiba on his right. The seat on the far right was still empty. He turned to Neji and adjusted his tie nervously. "Who else is supposed to judge tonight?" He asked, referring to the empty seat. Neji sighed. "Take a wild guess," he said dryly. "They chose two intelligent, quiet, and sophisticated guys like us. The other two are perverted idiots."

Shikamaru sighed, glancing at Kiba. If one half of the dynamic duo was already here, that meant -

"Naruto Uzumaki is in the house and ready to check out babes!" A grating voice cried from the back of the room. Shikamaru and Neji shared an equally pained glance. "_Why_ does it have to be Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, hanging his head. He liked the blonde-headed idiot, but sometimes he could be obnoxious.

Naruto strolled up to the judging table and sat in his chair. "You ready for this?" He asked Kiba enthusiastically. "You bet I am!" Kiba replied. The two high-fived.

Neji groaned and brought a hand to his forehead. "Apparently the contestants collectively decided who would judge. I have absolutely no idea why they chose Naruto and Kiba."

Shikamaru looked up thoughtfully. "Apparently I was chosen because I'm fair and honest," he said. Neji nodded. "I was chosen because I'm calm, impartial, and stoic," he said in agreement.

Naruto leaned over to look at Neji and Shikamaru. "Face it Neji, you were chosen because no matter how hot a girl is, you can't get a hard-on because you're gaaaaay ~ " Naruto sang.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "I simply don't think constantly being aroused by the appearance of your peers is an acceptable thing." He said somewhat defensively.

Kiba chuckled and looked at Naruto. "Gay," he whispered loudly. The two broke out into obnoxious laughter.

Shikamaru furrowed his brow and turned to Neji. "I know it's really none of my business, but it's okay if you _are_ gay," he said softly. Neji sighed. "I'm not gay, really. Those two decided to start a baseless rumor about me because of the fact that I have never had a girlfriend before. It's that simple."

Shikamaru shook his head. "That's silly. Don't forget that they're idiots, Neji. No one will believe anything that comes out of their mouths. And even then, so what if they do tell people? It's not exactly something to be ashamed of, and they'll be receiving more hate for sounding like homophobes."

Neji nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right..."

Kiba leaned over and smiled at everyone. "Anyways guys, I think we all look awesome tonight," he said genuinely, referring to the fact that everyone was wearing a suit and tie. Shikamaru agreed.

Naruto chuckled. "I hope all the contestants notice how spiffy we look!" He said excitedly. "...oh, yeah, and I hope the girls are hot!"

Kiba and Naruto shared another enthusiastic high-five.

Neji rolled his eyes. "Of course you do…" He said.

Shikamaru tugged at his collar nervously and checked the short list of contestants. They were all familiar names, he realized. Mostly people in their graduating class, but also others he had worked with before.

Suddenly the stage lights got brighter and the audience lights dimmed. "Aw yeah, it's starting!" Kiba cheered.

Kakashi sensei walked out onto stage, wearing his usual blue mask under a black tux and holding a white script card. "Welcome to the first-ever Konoha young kunoichi bikini contest," he read into the microphone, his voice even more disinterested sounding than usual. "I'm Kakashi Hatake and I'll be your host for this evening. I don't know how I was roped into this..." He muttered as an afterthought.

Naruto stood up and cheered. "Bring on the babes!" He cried. Shikamaru sent him a dirty look.

"Our first contestant is... *sigh* Ino Yamanaka."

There was a lot of cheering as the curtain lifted. It seemed like the entire male population of the leaf village was in the audience, watching as Ino ran onto the stage in a purple bikini that accentuated her large chest. The crowd went wild.

"Hello boys," Ino flirted in a singsong voice. "I know, I know, you can't resist me."

Shikamaru listened to the roar of the crowd behind him. She was right - they were going absolutely crazy for her. He sighed. She was like a sister to him and he had seen her wearing swimsuits before, but somehow on this stage it seemed different.

He blushed and brought a hand to his forehead. "What a drag..." He muttered. "How can I judge if I can't even take the contestants seriously? This whole thing is idiotic."

Kiba elbowed Shikamaru's side. "Lighten up and enjoy the show, bud. Ino's smokin' hot!" Shikamaru sighed and reluctantly looked up on stage, watching Ino pose for a little. While she walked backstage, the four judges scribbled little notes and a number on the score sheets in front of them.

Kakashi walked back out on the stage. "That was... interesting." He said before glancing down at his script card. "Next up we have Tenten."

The curtain opened again and Tenten walked out onto the stage, moving rather slowly.

"_She's nervous_," Shikamaru thought to himself. "_She's way more conservative than Ino is so this is a huge leap out of her comfort zone_."

Tenten was wearing a small pink halter bikini, the straps tied into large bows around her neck and back. She stopped at the front of the stage for a moment. The crowd went absolutely wild. Tenten smiled coyly and waved.

Shikamaru looked at his fellow judges to gauge their reactions. Naruto and Kiba were practically hanging over the front of the desk and salivating. "Who knew Tenten was this gorgeous?!" Kiba cried. Naruto wiped the drool from his chin and continued to stare. "Her boobs are ginormous!" He said.

Shikamaru sighed and looked over at Neji, the only sensible one. He was blushing something furious, and a little bit of blood was trickling out of his nose. "You alright?" Shikamaru asked.

That seemed to break the trance. Neji shook his head and put a hand to his nose. "Yeah, I'm fine. This... This is just... I mean, she's my _teammate_! I should be fair about this! I'm supposed to be the stoic judge!"

Shikamaru smiled. "It's okay if you're not stoic 100% of the time, you know that right?" He said good-naturedly. Neji nodded. "I guess..." He admitted, reaching for the tissue box on the judging table. It was a little suspicious that it just "happened" to be there. It was like they expected someone to get a bloody nose at some point.

Tenten flashed a winning smile at the crowd before turning and walking away.

Kakashi gave an unenthusiastic eye roll as he reentered the stage, holding his cue card up. "Next is… oh joy… coming all the way from Suna, we have Temari!"

The blonde kunoichi entered onto the stage, a confident grin on her face. She was wearing a pale blue string bikini and she knew that she looked good. Shikamaru blushed a little – they had become really close friends over the years and seeing her sexualized like this, well… that made him a little uncomfortable.

He knew that people often wondered whether they were involved in some sort of relationship, but he could never really see her as anything but a friend. It's not to say he didn't _try_. After all, people constantly pointed out the positives while congratulating him on such a catch. At one point he really wanted to see it too, but he could never really bring himself to feel anything but friendship.

"The desert has some hot babes," Kiba said breathlessly. Shikamaru sighed and brought a hand to his forehead.

Temari was just _oozing_ with confidence. She stood on the stage longer than the other contestants had, posing and wordlessly working the crowd into a frenzy. It was only when Kakashi walked back onto the stage to announce the next contestant that she finally left the spotlight.

"Isn't this just so wonderful?" Kakashi said in an unenthusiastic monotone. "Next up is our very own Hinata Hyuga."

Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle at Kakashi's tone of voice. He was perhaps the worst match for this kind of thing. It was no secret that he possessed quite the perverted mind, and yet he was so unenthused about everything. His reactions were almost comical. Shikamaru assumed that Kakashi was just really worried about coming off as a creep if he seemed interested in these girls, so he played it off as disinterest. Secretly, he was probably having a field day.

"Umm… Hinata?" He asked, sounding puzzled as no one entered the stage.

The curtains parted just enough for the kunoichi in question to pop her head out. She had a distressed look on her face, her lavender eyes pleading with Kakashi to skip her. Kakashi put his cue cards in his pants pocket and gestured. "Here she is," he said dully.

Hinata shook her head and gave a surprised squeak, closing her eyes and attempting to sink behind the curtain. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect Hinata to be participating at all, unless she was forced. This was most likely the case, and if so then it would take a lot to get her out on this stage.

There was an all-too-familiar muffled voice from behind the curtain that cried out in protest. Shikamaru sighed and hung his head.

_Ino_.

He expected nothing different from the pushy blonde, and yet he thought that she at least had _some _respect for others' modesty. The curtains parted again and Hinata stumbled onto the stage as if shoved.

She shot an angry glare behind her, presumably aimed at the person who shoved her on stage. Realizing she was exposed, she slowly looked back at the giant crowd. Her face became a dangerous shade of red and she brought her hands over her chest in an attempt to cover up. She looked back at the curtain, wondering if she could slip away relatively unnoticed.

"Come on!" cried someone in the audience. Hinata gave a squeak and cowered, covering her head. This was humiliating! Here she was, caught on stage and seen by everyone. She couldn't go out there and pose like everyone else, but she was trapped on stage by Ino, who wouldn't let her backstage until she was finished. Maybe if she thought about it hard enough, she could just disappear.

Ino claimed that being in this contest would bring the shy kunoichi confidence, something that she desperately sought, but this was _not_ what Hinata had bargained for. This would only give her a heart attack, she concluded.

"Hinata, you can do it!" a male voice encouraged. She looked up, shocked. It couldn't be… Neji?

Sure enough, the male Hyuga was right there, standing behind the judge's table. The other three judges were sitting in their seats, looking somewhat surprised. "_Neji_…" Hinata whispered to herself, smiling slightly. Her cousin had faith in her! She could do this!

"_The sooner I do this, the sooner I can leave…_" She whispered to herself. Lifting her head, she put on a confident face and nodded. "_The sooner I do this, the sooner I can leave_."

Repeating the phrase to herself silently, she picked herself up and began walking the length of the stage.

She stood at the center of the stage, a smile adorning her face. The crowd began cheering and applauding Hinata's bravery, which only served to encourage her further. She put her hands on her hips and stood proudly, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"Way to go, Hinata!" Kiba encouraged. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" He asked the rest of the judges. Naruto squinted and stared at her navy blue bandeau top and short skirt bikini bottom. "Who knew?" He muttered, sounding dumbfounded.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the idiotic comments Naruto and Kiba were exchanging and turned to Neji. "I think it's awesome that Hinata's acting this confident," he said. "She's come out of her shell, temporarily at least."

Neji beamed. "I'm proud of her," he said.

Hinata looked down at the judges table and gave Neji a grateful smile. He, in turn, gave a rare smile and a nod. Her eyes scanned the rest of the table, and upon seeing Naruto she froze. All of the confidence she possessed before was gone at the sight of the blonde jinchuriki, whose eyes were on her.

_His eyes were on her._

Hinata gulped and felt a pit in her stomach, her face becoming like fire. She had to get out of here. She'd been on this stage for long enough, right? She desperately commanded her legs to move, but they were like stone pillars. She was frozen to the stage in front of everyone with no escape. Face reddening and sweating profusely, she felt her vision go black and that was it.

She had fainted.

Shikamaru's eyes widened at the sight of Hinata collapsing. It was like it was happening in slow motion. Her eyes closed and she began to go limp, her knees buckling. "Neji, she's fainting!" He cried, turning to the Hyuga, but his seat was empty. He looked back up on stage and saw Neji rushing to catch his cousin as she fell. Shikamaru felt a sense of relief come over him as the jounin caught her. It wasn't a rare occurrence for Hinata to faint, but up on stage it seemed different, scarier somehow.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Neji asked gently, hoping to get an answer from his cousin. Her eyes fluttered open and she blushed. "N-Neji, what happened?" She asked. Neji gave a sigh of relief. "You passed out on stage, but I caught you before you collapsed completely. Now, are you hurt?"

Hinata shook her head and smiled. "I'm alright, th-thank you. F-for catching me, I mean."

Neji nodded. "Are you alright to get up?"

Hinata nodded in response. "I'm pretty sure."

Hinata stood up somewhat unsteadily and, regaining her balance, she looked out at the crowd. "She's alright, everybody!" Neji cried, reassuring the crowd. There was a round of applause as the jounin walked his cousin backstage and then returned to his seat at the judging table.

"That was quick thinking, Neji," Shikamaru said in awe as Neji returned to his seat. Neji nodded. "Thanks, I'm just glad I saw it happening."

Kiba leaned forward in his seat, catching Neji's attention. "That was an amazing catch, man. I'm so glad she's okay," he said enthusiastically.

...

After the fainting scare, the next few contestants went by uneventfully. Shikamaru barely even paid attention, scribbling random numbers on the score sheet and staring blankly ahead. He felt distracted for reasons unknown even to him, and it felt like this contest was dragging on forever. Why had he agreed to do this?

"Our last contestant is our very own Sakura Haruno!" Kakashi read from his card, sounding mildly amused. That definitely got Shikamaru's attention.

The curtains parted and the pink-haired kunoichi walked out onto the stage in a plain red halter bikini. She bore a beautiful smile on her face, a somewhat shy but determined grin. She knew she was beautiful, Shikamaru was sure of it. He looked down at the judging scorecard, trying not to stare for too long.

"Go Sakuraaaa!" Naruto cried, standing up. He had a wide grin on his face, a faint blush tinting his tanned cheeks. "You look great!"

Sakura looked at her teammate and beamed. Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow and looked up at the pink-haired kunoichi on stage. He half-expected her to beat Naruto for ogling, but maybe she was taking it as encouragement…? Either way, she was a sight to behold and he didn't question it further.

"I don't know why you've got your pants in a twist over her, Naruto," Kiba interjected rather loudly.

Shikamaru stared straight ahead, but his attention was now on the conversation happening next to him.

Naruto sat back down in his seat and looked over at his dog-like friend. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Kiba shrugged. "I mean, she's cute and all but she's definitely no Ino or Hinata or… well, anyone else, really."

Naruto squinted up at the stage, a confused look on his face. "Well, she's Sakura-chan, I think she's beautiful! I s'pose you're right though. Her boobs are so small compared to everyone else here, and she _does _have a flatter ass, but…"

Shikamaru frowned and gave them a sharp look. "Is that _all_ you guys care about in a girl?" He asked, careful to sound as unenthused as usual but instead coming off as disgruntled. "There's more to a woman than her body you know."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "Sheesh, no need to bite my head off."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, what's it matter to ya anyways?"

Shikamaru looked to the side, wondering what to say next. He didn't mean to snap like that, but _come on! _That was pretty rude of them.

Still, why _did_ it matter so much to him? Wasn't he supposed to be nonchalant about everything? Other people's comments shouldn't faze him, why should he care what they think about Sakura?

"It's nothing," he said finally. "Just forget about it."

"Whatever, man," Kiba said, turning to face the stage again. "Sakura's almost done anyways."

Sakura had turned around, and with a final wave to the audience, she began walking backstage.

"And that concludes this year's Konoha young kunoichi bikini contest. We'll let the judges tabulate the results and we'll be with you shortly to announce the winners," Kakashi said with a sigh.

Shikamaru looked down at Sakura's scorecard in front of him and bit his lip, thinking about what to say. With a smile, he began writing his comments.

...

"Hello everyone, thanks for your patience," Kakashi said. "Behind me are all of the *cough* lovely contestants from tonight. Before we announce the winners, let's give them all a round of applause."

Shikamaru brought his hands together and looked up on stage at all of the contestants. They were lined up in a large arc, all posing in their swimsuits. Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru put on a disgusted face and began clapping with the other judges.

"Now the results…" Kakashi began, pulling a card out of an envelope. "Congratulations to Ino Yamanaka, this year's miss Konoha young Kunoichi…"

Ino balled up her fists and squealed excitedly, turning to the girls around her and gesturing eagerly.

"…Runner-up," Kakashi finished pointedly, turning to shoot Ino a stern look.

Ino deflated a little, immediately pouting and crossing her arms defiantly. Shikamaru smirked a little. Someone needed to knock Ino down a peg and this was just _perfect_.

Captain Yamato entered the stage, wearing a white tux and carrying a small bouquet of flowers. He handed them to Ino sheepishly, her cerulean eyes shooting daggers at him. He bowed his head and quickly exited the stage.

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for…" Kakashi drawled, giving an eye-roll for good measure. "The winner of this year's young Kunoichi bikini contest is…."

*Dramatic pause*

Kakashi held up his card. "The winner is Hinata Hyuga."

Shikamaru smiled a little and began clapping, appreciating the outcome of the contest. At least the winner was humble and sweet and wouldn't let the title go to her head. He nudged Neji. "You proud?"

Neji was practically beaming. "Way to go, Hinata!" He cried uncharacteristically. He turned to the lazy genius. "You bet I am. Perhaps she'll realize her own strengths now."

Shikamaru smiled a lazy little smile and looked up on stage. Hinata was as red as a tomato and she looked positively mortified. The other girls had begun to crowd around her and congratulate her. Ino, though obviously upset that she had been beaten, actually seemed _proud_ that Hinata had won. She had pushed her way to Hinata's side and was now talking to her.

Yamato entered the stage again, this time carrying a large bouquet of roses, a sash, and a tiara. He crowned Hinata and placed the sash over her shoulder, handing over the roses and gesturing towards the winner. Hinata shook her head, her eyes tightly screwed shut. Tenten placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and pointed out at the judge's table. Hinata opened her eyes and peeked.

She saw Neji standing and clapping proudly, the other judges following suit. She smiled and bowed gratefully.

"And this concludes this year's contest," Kakashi said, standing in the center of the stage. Sighing audibly, he continued. "Thank you all for coming and remember that _everyone _is a winner. See you all next year." Shaking his head and dropping the cue card, he walked offstage.

Shikamaru stood up and stretched, sighing. "What a drag."

* * *

"What did you need me for, Lady Tsunade?" Shikamaru asked as he entered the Hokage's room and approached her cluttered desk. A few days had passed since the bikini contest and Shikamaru had settled into a very nice and relaxed routine of cloud-watching and napping.

He relished the fact that he hadn't been needed for anything major these past couple days and had grown used to being lazy. Still, it was about time Tsunade called on him again and he wasn't surprised in the least that his relaxing mini-vacation would have to come to an end.

"Ah Shikamaru, I'm glad you could get here so quickly," Tsunade said, promptly gesturing for him to come closer. She turned to Shizune and nodded. "Go fetch her," she ordered. "Yes m'lady," Shizune responded with a nod, leaving the room.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Fetch who?" He muttered.

"Your partner for this mission."

"Mission?"

Tsunade folded her hands and nodded. "Yes, I'm sending you on a mission and you definitely need to be briefed on its details. It's quite a doozy."

Shikamaru nodded. "Go on."

"It's going to take a lot of explanation and I'd rather explain most of it once your partner gets here. I suppose I can delve into the backstory a little. It all starts with the bikini contest."

Shikamaru smirked knowingly. "So there _was_ an ulterior motive behind it. I suspected as much."

Tsunade gave him a curious look. "I suppose that would have been quite obvious to you. The four judges were picked by the girls just as you were told, that much is true, but I had a say in the matter as well. You see, this mission takes place in a beachside town and you two will need to spend a lot of time around each other in swim suits."

Shikamaru frowned and crossed his arms. "Uh-huh?"

"And because this mission requires very careful acting as you'll soon hear, we needed to assess your attitudes around attractive girls in bikinis. The four judges I picked are all very strong and very capable shinobi who can hold their own as needed, but you'll need to play your part appropriately and the judging gave insight into how you guys act around other girls."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and frowned. "And?"

Tsunade looked at him sternly. "You'd better take this seriously, it's important. We needed a male who would fit all of the criteria. If he was too loud or noisy about his opinions, he wouldn't make a good candidate when he was surrounded by other women on the beach. We needed a guy who won't be blinded by other beauties while paying full attention to his partner. She will be playing the role of your wife, and you need to pretend to have eyes for her and her only even though she isn't the most eye-catching girl on the beach."

Shikamaru made a sickened face. "This sounds like way too much work. What a drag."

"You fit all of the criteria that we needed. You're the perfect tactician and I know you will plan everything flawlessly without blowing your cover. You handled yourself very well at the bikini contest. You weren't loud or obnoxious like Kiba or Naruto."

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "What about Neji? I'm sure he could pull this off just as well as I can."

Tsunade gave Shikamaru a harsh stare. "You are _not _worming your way out of this one, Nara. You are more ideal for this than Neji because you weren't as disinterested as he was. Although Neji would be able to ignore the other girls on the beach, he also wouldn't be able to act out the part of having eyes only for his lover."

"And what makes you think I _will_ only have eyes for my 'lover'?" Shikamaru asked.

Tsunade smiled for the first time in this conversation. "Because of the way you wrote about her."

Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat. That meant…

"She's here m'lady!" Shizune's voice called.

"Send her in," the Hokage ordered.

Shikamaru turned around and looked at the doorway. His heart-stopping realization had been right.

It was Sakura.

Shikamaru's pulse raced. He hoped that Tsunade wouldn't tell Sakura what he'd written about her. That would be absolutely mortifying.

"Oh, hello Shikamaru. What did you need m'lady?" Sakura asked as she approached the Hokage's desk.

"Good timing, Sakura. I was just beginning to brief Shikamaru on your mission. Glad you could join us."

Sakura looked puzzled. "Mission?" She asked, eyeing Shikamaru nervously. He was the only one here, so that meant… it was just them? They were going on a mission alone?

"So Sakura, as I already told Shikamaru this mission takes place in Tsumi, a small beachside town on the mainland border of the land of waves. You see, the next town over from Tsumi was completely wiped out in the past few months."

"Wiped out?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, completely wiped out. Most of the townspeople were killed, and the few survivors managed to flee. The citizens of Tsumi didn't think much of it until their people started dying too."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "What could it be?"

"Are we being sent to investigate, then?" Shikamaru asked.

Tsunade laced her fingers together. "Almost. We have our suspicions as to who could be behind this, but we need to know for sure before making moves. And – if our suspicions are correct – this will also be an assassination mission."

Sakura nodded. "So we go in, gather information, and kill once we know for sure?"

"Not quite," Tsunade said. "It's more complicated than that. You see, the killings all happened in a very suspicious way. Men would disappear from their homes only to show up dead weeks later. To me, this sounds like the work of Anzu Takara, a missing-nin who has a background in prostitution."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"We need to kill Anzu before she begins killing off the citizens of Tsumi. This is a good chance for us to gain allies in the land of waves, and Tsumi is a small but influential port town. This could be to our advantage. We've come up with a way to get you two into town and in a position to gather information, but it will require precise acting and sharp intelligence, something I know the two of you have."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm a bit confused, m'lady. This whole thing seems pretty far-fetched. I mean, no offense against Shikamaru, but why us? What do we have to do with this whole scheme?"

"You see, we've decided to send a pair of ninja to pose as a married couple. You will be spending a lot of time at the beach to gather information and that is where the bikini contest came into play."

"The bikini contest was just a front?" Sakura asked, her voice rising slightly.

"We needed to find the perfect candidates for this mission. We need you guys to blend in and in order to do that, we needed a girl who was average-looking in a bikini. If you're too eye-catching, you'll draw unnecessary attention to yourselves."

Sakura's face grew red with anger. "_Average _-looking?!" She cried. "And I suppose this is _me_?!"

Shikamaru cringed, recalling the rather rude comments Naruto and Kiba were sharing. They must have been harsh in their scoring.

"Yes Sakura, the judges decided this."

Shikamaru could feel Sakura's eyes burning a hole in the side of his head and knew that it would be best not to make eye contact. His eyebrows were knitted into a firm scowl.

"Of course, that's how the female half of the couple was selected. The male half was also selected during the contest. The four judges were analyzed based on their behavior around women in swimsuits."

"Oh?" Sakura asked, her voice dripping with poison.

"In the end, we chose Shikamaru because he will handle himself well around tons of gorgeous women. You two are going to pretend to be married and deeply in love. You will spend time at the beach gathering information while pretending to be madly in love with one another. It needs to be _convincing_. Everyone who comes in contact with you needs to know that you are in love. It should feel natural and they should believe it without question."

Sakura made a rude noise. "And you want me to pretend I'm in love with _him_?! He was one of the judges! They're the pigs who think I'm just 'average-looking.'"

Tsunade smirked and nodded. "Actually Sakura, in his comments about you Shikamaru wrote –"

Shikamaru widened his eyes and looked at Tsunade like a deer in headlights. He shook his head wildly, silently pleading with the Hokage not to reveal what he said about Sakura.

Sakura growled loudly and stomped forward, leaning on the front of the Hokage's desk and breathing heavily. "I don't fucking want to hear what he said about me. How in the hell could I pretend to be in love with this – this – absolute _scumbag_?!"

"Sakura!" Tsunade cried angrily. "That is no way to talk in front of your Hokage! I am your superior and you _will _obey my orders. You will shut up right now or heaven forbid I will _make_ you!"

Sakura flinched a little and looked down. "Alright m'lady," she said in a tiny voice.

Shikamaru stared at Sakura, his lips pressed together in a thin line and his eyes glazed over with hurt. He could tell her how he actually felt, sure, but what good would it do? She wouldn't believe him.

"Now where was I? Oh, I'll just start from the beginning. You two will pose as a couple who is very much in love. Although you will be surrounded by beautiful women on the beach, Shikamaru will only have eyes for you, Sakura. You will gather information on the killings and see if you can get any leads. If this is indeed Anzu we're dealing with then you'll need to kill her. Shikamaru, Anzu is beautiful but if you play your role correctly, you shouldn't be fazed by it. Don't forget that she is very dangerous. Remember, you only have eyes for your wife. Gain Anzu's trust and kill her without raising suspicion."

Shikamaru sighed and looked over at Sakura uncomfortably. She was absolutely livid. "What makes you so sure this is the work of Anzu?" He asked cautiously.

"As a prostitute, Anzu was well-known for being a dominatrix. She liked controlling and torturing her customers and the bodies of the victims seem to match her style. We think that she tortures men once she captures them and uses them for sex, keeping them imprisoned until they die a brutal death."

Shikamaru made a face, feeling like he knew where this was going. "And let me guess, you want me to get captured and kill her when she's vulnerable?"

Tsunade smiled grimly. "That's the plan. You can use your quick wit and power of analysis to make sure you don't become another victim, and Sakura can provide all of the backup you need to complete the assassination."

Sakura clenched her fists at her sides. "This isn't _fair_! Tsunade, how could you do something like this?!"

"Sakura, this is about the mission. People are dying."

Sakura shook her head, her eyes burning dangerously. "How could you just let them _insult_ me like that?! This is humiliating! I don't want to do this." Her voice was dark and angry with pained undertones.

Tsunade slammed a fist onto her desk and stood up furiously. "Sakura this is an ORDER and for the last time, you are going on this mission. I understand that you are hurt, but pull yourself together and suck it up, dammit. I never thought I would be disrespected like this by my own pupil."

Sakura's eyes widened and she fell silent. Shikamaru eyed her nervously, the air thick with her suppressed anger.

"You two will leave right away. I want you to handle this as adults. Do NOT let emotions get in the way of this mission's success," Tsunade said pointedly, looking at Sakura. "The most important thing is that it all goes according to plan and no one gets hurt. Understand?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Understood."

* * *

**Well, what do you guys think so far? Do you like it? Please leave a review if you can, that would just make my day! :) Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please don't be mean. **

**I wrote the bikini contest thing many many years ago (back in the awkward days of middle school) and stumbled upon the old fic in my room. I decided to expand on the idea and make it into a more viable story, and this is what came of it! **

**Again, thank you for reading! I should update pretty regularly so please review review review! **

**-Gallade**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello you lovely readers :) Thank you so much for all of the reviews of the first chapter! **

**I am trying to keep them mostly in-character, but there might be some slight OOC-ness. I'm doing what I can to avoid this. This chapter is probably the worst offender for out-of-character Sakura, but it gets better. Try to think about how you'd feel if you were in her place.**

**This chapter is a little on the short side, so forgive me for that. I hope you enjoy!**

**-Gallade**

* * *

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the midday sky. He stood by the village gate and paced nervously. Sakura was supposed to be here already and yet there was no sign of her. This was all so _troublesome_. Tsunade enraged Sakura so much during their mission briefing that Shikamaru was actually dreading this long mission with her. He would have jumped at the chance to spend this much time with her before, but she was angry and he knew she wanted to use him as a punching bag.

What was Tsunade _thinking_?! Why did she go about telling Sakura she was just average-looking? Sakura was well-aware of the fact that her body was lacking the curves that her peers possessed, and Tsunade also knew that it was a bit of a sore spot for her. So why had she gone and pointed it out like that?! And now, Sakura was mad at _him_ for it because he was a judge. He leaned against the village gate and stared at the ground beneath his feet.

He _had_ to come up with a way to make her see that he didn't share the opinions of the other judges without just saying it. He couldn't say what he felt – she wouldn't believe him and he just wasn't ready to tell her. This was so silly.

He wasn't even sure when he'd begun to fall for the pink-haired kunoichi in the first place. For a while, she was just another girl from their year. He appreciated her talents as a medical ninja and respected her abilities, but he never really thought much beyond that. As time had gone on, however, he began to want to see her more often. He landed himself in the hospital several times after returning from particularly dangerous missions and found himself hoping he could see her. That was his first clue and he denied it. He began to admire every little thing she did and soon she invaded his dreams. It was when she invaded his waking thoughts that he finally admitted it – he was smitten. Hanging out with Ino suddenly wasn't as much of a drag if Sakura came along. She was fun and quick-witted and made for a wonderful companion.

He glanced down the road and saw a slender figure walking towards the gate. As the person came closer, he saw the unmistakable pink hair and felt a pit form in his stomach. It was Sakura.

"Hey," Shikamaru greeted as she approached him. "You ready to head out?"

Sakura gave him a sour look and nodded without a word. Shikamaru sighed in frustration, the uncomfortableness of the situation frightening him somewhat. Sure, it wasn't uncommon to feel less-than-comfortable when traveling on missions with unfamiliar people, but it shouldn't have felt this way. He knew Sakura better than this.

"Let's go then," Shikamaru said, trying to sound as normal as possible. He began to head outside the town gates and Sakura soon followed suit. "We've got a long day of traveling ahead of us."

Shikamaru sighed and picked up speed after getting no response from Sakura. If she was going to give him the silent treatment, he supposed it was better than chewing him out the whole time. Still, close teamwork and flawless acting were essential to the success of this mission, and that meant they'd require good communication. They would need to talk sooner or later.

Shikamaru felt a rush of wind next to him and realized that Sakura had taken a running leap into the trees overhead. Sighing, Shikamaru followed her into the trees – traveling would be faster that way, after all.

Nimbly leaping from branch to branch, Shikamaru could see Sakura up ahead. She was moving faster than necessary to travel. Shikamaru shook his head. He knew she was doing it to avoid him and to show him she was angry, but that was no way to travel long distances and she would surely tire herself out that way. They needed their energy. Shikamaru pumped chakra into his legs and pushed ahead to meet her.

"You know, there's no need to tire yourself out like this," Shikamaru said good-naturedly. "We're in absolutely no hurry."

Sakura furrowed her brow and pushed ahead even faster without saying anything.

Shikamaru frowned, his usual facial expression coming over him. "What a pain."

…

The next few hours were perhaps some of the most uncomfortable Shikamaru had experienced in recent memory. Every attempt he made to lighten the mood only ended in more awkwardness. Sakura ignored his every word, or even worse – she took stabs at him. Her sharp words and acid tongue lashed at Shikamaru, and though he tried to ignore them he couldn't help but feel hurt in the process.

When Sakura was mad, usually her fists flew and the offending person was punched through a wall of something like that. This time she wasn't physically taking out her anger, which worried Shikamaru a lot. Something was different about her now and it made the other shinobi very uneasy.

He'd rather take a beating than deal with this.

"Sakura, will you please listen to me?" Shikamaru asked wearily, breaking the hours of silence that preceded his words.

Sakura stopped abruptly on a thick tree limb and glared at Shikamaru. Shikamaru widened his eyes and skidded to a halt next to her.

Sakura looked furious. "You want me to listen? I'm listening. Now talk," she spat.

Shikamaru frowned. "Sakura, what the hell are you so upset about?"

Sakura's face grew red. "What do you mean 'what are you upset about?' What could possibly be confusing to you!?"

Shikamaru kept her gaze. "I mean, why are you _still_ so upset? Is it about earlier? Because I can explain, I-"

Sakura shook her head and turned to leap away. "Unbelievable! You're absolutely unbelievable!"

Shikamaru grabbed her arm and held on firmly as Sakura tried to escape. "Please just talk to me."

"You want me to talk to you?! Fine, I'll talk to you." Sakura spat, turning to face the spiky-haired shinobi. Yanking her arm free of his grip, she stood her ground. "I think it is absolutely insulting what you judges said about me. I feel so humiliated and I never even should have gotten on that stage!"

"I never said those things–"

"Shut it. Do you realize how horrible it is to insult a girl's figure like that? I have feelings you know! When I put on a swimsuit I'm at my most vulnerable, and you guys completely tore me apart and highlighted all of my insecurities. Do you realize how that makes me FEEL? I thought you were my friends!"

"Sakura, really –"

"And to have my own MENTOR insult me like that. I'm just average-looking?! I know I'm not beautiful like Ino or Hinata, I understand that, but did she have to say it out loud? That was just the icing on the cake! I have to stand by and play the part of your wife when you judges said those things about me?!"

"But I didn't –"

"AND I have to stand around and be oblivious to these beautiful women while you ogle them, all while knowing exactly what they will think of me? What YOU'LL think of me?!"

Shikamaru was silent. She didn't know a thing about what he thought about her.

"Well I can't do that! I'm not going to just be okay with everyone thinking these things about me!"

"Sakura, you can't change what people will think about you. That's just how it goes. Does it matter what others think about you? In the end, does it _truly_ matter?" Shikamaru shot at her.

Sakura looked to the side, unable to counter that point. "What do you care? What do you know? You don't understand!"

Shikamaru kept a level head. "If I don't understand you, then please help me to understand. I'm not out to get you Sakura."

She shook her head and distanced herself. "Shikamaru I can't. I just really can't do this right now."

Shikamaru's face fell. "Sakura, please… there's no way we can do this mission while we're at each other's throats. Can we at least come to an understanding? I hate seeing you this upset."

Sakura folded her arms and scoffed.

Shikamaru sighed and brought a hand to the back of his neck. "I know you're hurt and humiliated by what the other judges and Tsunade said about you –and I don't blame you for that – but please just know that I had no part in the insults."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "But you _knew_ they said those things and you didn't stop them."

Shikamaru groaned. "Don't you get it?! I can't control what others say and neither can you. People are going to say nasty things, that much will always be true, but you can't let it get to you!" He said, raising his voice. With another groan, he continued.

"I stood up for you, dammit! I gave you compliments and all you care about is the criticism! Do you know how insulting that is? I understand that you're hurt but that's no reason to take it out on me when I didn't do anything to you!"

By the end of his rant, Shikamaru was practically shouting. He hadn't let his temper get this out-of-control in God knows how long. He was shaking and out of breath.

Sakura was looking at him now, unsure of what to say. Her eyes darted from side to side as she analyzed the taller shinobi's face. Her eyes were wide and unsure, glistening at the corners. Shikamaru's face softened. It seemed that Sakura had gotten her anger out now – she looked pitiful. Her lip quivered as she stared at him, betraying the otherwise stony look she was attempting to give.

She wasn't fooling him. She looked about ready to break down and cry.

Sakura took another step back and turned so that Shikamaru couldn't see her face.

"Sakura…" Shikamaru began gently, taking a step towards her.

She shook her head and backed away more, turning to face the other direction. "Don't."

"Sakura, it's getting pretty late and I think we're pretty much at the border of the land of waves. We need to start thinking about finding somewhere to settle for the night."

Sakura closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh."

Her voice was wavering and Shikamaru was sure that she was about ready to cry at this point. He wasn't sure what to do. Dammit, he hated when girls cried! He felt so helpless and though he wanted to help, he never knew how to. Growing up, Ino had been quite the crybaby despite her confident and tough exterior. When he tried talking to her, she said she wanted to be left alone, but when he left her alone she complained about no one talking to her. It was always a messy ordeal and he never seemed to guess right.

And now the guesswork would be left up to him again.

"Sakura, let's head somewhere safe for the night and then we can talk more, okay?" He said finally.

Sakura nodded and turned back around. "Right," she said in a steadier voice. She blinked the tears from her eyes and furrowed her brow. "The forest is thinning out, perhaps we can travel on foot from here on out." She reasoned. "Besides, if we're close to wave country we're going to need to start acting and looking like civilians. Oh, and we need to suppress our chakra as well."

Shikamaru nodded and agreed. Well, they seemed to be getting somewhere at least. They weren't shouting and they weren't silent. It was progress.

"Let's see if there is a place to stay somewhere around here," Shikamaru said, dropping to the ground. Sakura was close behind him. The two landed gracefully on the ground and straightened themselves out.

"Maybe there's a house around here where the residents aren't opposed to letting two travelers spend the night," Sakura said, beginning to walk towards the thinning edge of the forest.

"Wait," Shikamaru said. "Your headband. And your ninja gear. We need to look like civilians."

"Oh, right…" Sakura said, reaching up and untying the red band in her hair. "I hope you brought a change of clothes for yourself. I only packed a few outfits for myself. I thought we could shop for anything else we need once we get to town."

Shikamaru nodded and reached for a scroll on his flak jacket. "I packed a bag for me and a large purse for you so we can hold our stuff like normal townspeople." In a puff of smoke, a black backpack and a large tote bag appeared.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "That's so thoughtful. Thank you." She picked up the tote bag and opened it up, putting her headband and weapons pouch inside.

Shikamaru nodded and smiled. "Of course." He picked up the backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out a plain gray t-shirt and navy shorts. "Now, you can definitely get away with wearing your clothes and looking like a civilian, but I'm a whole different story. This outfit is standard for leaf ninja and it's recognizable anywhere. I'm going to need to change."

Without hesitation, Shikamaru unzipped his flak jacket and took off the loose blue shirt underneath, leaving him exposed in his fishnet undershirt. Sakura blushed and averted her eyes, though she wasn't quite sure why. She'd seen male bodies countless times before, and yet it felt totally different as Shikamaru changed his clothes right in front of her.

"I hope you don't mind looking away for a little while longer," Shikamaru began. "I'm going to change into my shorts."

"No problem. Tell me when it's safe."

…

…

"Alright, you're free to look now."

Sakura sighed in relief and turned around to face her teammate, who was now wearing civilian clothes and stuffing his regular clothes into the backpack. He looked up and caught Sakura's gaze. "Well?" He asked. "How does it look?"

Sakura nodded. "Convincing."

Shikamaru smirked. "Great. That's exactly what we need."

The two straightened up and began to walk out of the forest.

"Oh, and just to warn you, we're going to need to act a lot more comfortable around each other once we really get into town. Married couples aren't afraid to change in front of one another."

The sound of a fist coming in contact with something (or _someone_) rang through the forest, followed by a mumble of "Troublesome…"

…

Sakura and Shikamaru walked for some distance, leaving the large and dense forest behind and following a dirt path.

"There should be some place to stay around here," Shikamaru said somewhat distractedly. He glanced around the area as they walked. "At least I hope there is. If not, we'll have to camp out for the night and I didn't bring a tent."

Sakura blew her bangs aside and frowned. "I didn't think we'd need one so I didn't bring one. I didn't pack a sleeping bag either."

Shikamaru glanced at his traveling partner wearily. She sounded upset with him all over again - didn't they just settle this dispute? Then again... settle wasn't the right word for it. He'd just momentarily calmed her down.

And really, she had every right to be so upset. Kiba was very critical of her, and he even managed to convince Naruto as well. And though she hadn't overheard their commentary like he had, she _did_ hear similar criticism from the mouth of her very own mentor.

And after she reacted negatively to such criticism - as any normal human being would - she was shot down and told to suck it up. That really wasn't the ideal way for the Hokage to treat her student, and Shikamaru hoped Tsunade realized this.

"We'll figure something out, don't you worry," Shikamaru said. "I think I see a light up ahead. A house, maybe?"

Sakura looked hopeful for a second before turning to Shikamaru and frowning. "You'd better be right, dammit. I'm in no mood to sleep on the ground."

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the dark night sky. It was beautiful out here when they were so far from all of the village lights. The charcoal sky was clear and covered in pinpoints of bright light. Normally he wouldn't mind camping out on a night like this, but Sakura was in a hell of a mood and it wasn't worth the trouble to make her angrier. He sighed and kept walking towards the house where they could hopefully stay for the night.

Soon they arrived at the doorstep of the medium-sized house. This looked promising at least - with a house this size, perhaps there would be room for them to stay the night. Nodding at his sulky traveling partner, Shikamaru knocked on the door.

Several moments of complete silence passed. Shikamaru glanced at the window, clearly illuminated from the inside, and frowned at the door. "Well, the lights are on. Someone _should_ be home."

Sakura balled up her fists and stormed over to the door. "Open up!" She cried, pounding on the door.

"Wait!" Shikamaru said urgently, putting himself in between the hotheaded kunoichi and the door. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he looked seriously into her emerald eyes. "We don't want to anger whoever lives here."

The door opened with a creak, startling the two ninja. In the doorway stood a gruff man who appeared to be in his fifties. He scowled at the couple standing on the doorstep. "Can I help you?" He asked, his voice gravelly and deep.

Sakura flinched at the sight of this intimidating man. If this was the homeowner, things weren't looking good as far as shelter went.

Shikamaru nodded politely and put an arm around Sakura . "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, it's just that my wife and I are traveling to a nearby town and it's gotten a little late. We were looking for a place to stay for the night." He gave Sakura's shoulder a little squeeze, eliciting a sharp glare from the kunoichi.

The man raised a thick eyebrow, his steely gaze unwavering. "Your... _wife_, you say?"

Shikamaru looked seriously into Sakura's eyes, wearing a false smile. "Yes, my wife."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Shikamaru before looking at the man with a smile. "My lovely husband and I were wondering if you would be open to letting two weary travelers spend the night," she said with a bat of her long eyelashes.

Her tone was sickeningly sweet and false as all hell. She was still angry, that much was certain. Shikamaru looked at the man, scouring his face for any sign that he caught onto Sakura's bitter lie. He was silent, the intimidating scowl still plastered on his face.

"Listen, sir, we mean no harm. If we're asking too much then we can leave," Shikamaru said cordially. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"Ken'ichi, who's at the door?" A soft female voice asked from inside the house.

The man sighed and turned his head to respond. "It's nothing, Aiko," he said impatiently.

Shikamaru immediately perked up somewhat, squeezing Sakura's shoulder again to convey his hopes. She gave a low growl in warning. Shikamaru held up a hand and mouthed 'wait.' This could be their lucky chance.

A short and stout woman pushed her way past the tall man and instantly brightened at the sight of the two ninja. "Hello," she said in a friendly manner to the couple, and then immediately turned to the man. "Ken'ichi! Why didn't you say we had guests?!"

The man's facial expression softened, his thick eyebrows relaxing to a neutral look. "Aiko, dear, they're asking about staying for the night. We don't know these people, we can't just let two strangers in the house..."

The woman tsked and looked at her husband sternly. "Ken'ichi..." She growled in warning.

"But -"

"Are you defying me?"

The man sighed and held his hands up in surrender as he retreated behind his wife, shaking his head in disapproval.

The woman wore a victorious little smirk. "I'm sorry about that, you two. What can I do for you?"

Shikamaru's false smile drooped into his usual lazy frown. Was every woman this pushy and controlling?! Damn! Still, there was no room to complain about how troublesome women were when their chances of staying the night were at stake. For once, he was relieved.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am. You see, my wife and I are heading to a nearby town for vacation and it's taking longer than we thought." Shikamaru began.

Sakura put a hand firmly on Shikamaru's chest and gave a false smile, never once breaking the kind-looking woman's gaze. "Before we knew it, it was dark outside and you see... well, we need a place to stay the night. Is there any chance you have room here for us?" Sakura asked, putting on her sweetest puppy-dog eyes. "If it's not too much trouble I mean."

Shikamaru hid his shock at Sakura's convincing performance. She wasn't such a bad actress after all! Perhaps it really wouldn't be so hard to act out their parts to complete the mission. It was troublesome, yes, but only if she continued to hold this grudge against him.

The woman smiled and clasped her hands together. "Well I'm certain we can find room for the two of you. Gosh you are adorable! Follow me." With a wave of the hand, Aiko turned and walked into the house, gesturing for the two leaf shinobi to follow her inside.

…

"Alright, you two! Breakfast is at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I hope you have a good night's rest."

"Thank you for everything, Aiko," Sakura said warmly as she and Shikamaru entered the guest room. With a groan, she broke the fake smile she'd been wearing all night and shut the door.

"Glad Aiko was here to tip the scale in our favor," Shikamaru said, hoping to start conversation.

"Mhm."

Shikamaru set his backpack down next to him, frowning. "Sakura, you're not still mad, are you?"

Silence.

"Sakura, what's the matter?"

"Just leave me alone, okay? I'm really in no mood to talk," she said harshly, setting her purse on the bedside table and sitting on the bed.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered. "I'm going to take a shower, if that's alright with you. When I come back, do you think we can at least be civil?"

Sakura crossed her arms and gave an impatient sigh. It was obvious to Shikamaru that she wanted him out for a little.

Maybe she'll simmer down a little with some time to herself.

…

The following morning, Aiko and Ken'ichi found Shikamaru sleeping on the floor next to the locked guest room door, clad in little more than a net shirt and some underwear.

Sakura clearly hadn't simmered down like Shikamaru hoped she would.

* * *

**So what do you think so far? Leave me a review if you can! It would really make my day :) As always, constructive comments are much appreciated, but don't just be outright mean to me. Thank you for reading! I will be updating soon, I promise!**

**-Gallade**


	3. Chapter 3

**The previous chapter was short, but this one more than makes up for it! A lot happens in this chapter and I'm sorry if it feels like the mission is rushed at all. They could be doing this mission for months if things didn't go their way at least a little :) Just think of it as helping the plot along! **

**I'd also like to thank everyone who left reviews :) It makes me so happy that people are reading this when I've given it so much time and thought.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy! I've worked really hard on this! -Gallade**

* * *

"You ready for this?" Shikamaru asked his mission partner. They were nearing the town of Tsumi, he could feel it. The forested area had cleared a long way back, and the air began to smell salty like the sea. They were close. The two were now traveling through a grassy hilly area.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Sakura replied sourly from behind him. She had been dragging her feet and falling behind him ever since they started traveling again.

"Oh great, we're not doing this again, are we?" Shikamaru drawled. "Sakura, you were fine ten minutes ago when we said goodbye to Aiko and Ken'ichi. What happened between then and now to piss you off?"

Sakura growled and readjusted the tote bag on her shoulder. "What happened?" She asked, her voice like acid. "Well, I'm alone with _you_, am I not? That's enough to piss anyone off."

"What a drag," Shikamaru groaned.

The two walked a little further and approached the top of a hill.

"Hey," Shikamaru said, stopping abruptly. Sakura stopped a few feet behind him. "What is it?"

Shikamaru turned around with a smile. "Come look."

Sakura frowned and walked up to meet the lazy ninja. She was taken aback by the beautiful sight.

The hill they were standing atop was the highest point in sight, overlooking a vast seaside valley. From way up here, they could see a medium-sized town on the water's edge.

"We're here," Shikamaru said, looking at his pink-haired teammate. "Now is the time to really focus on the mission at hand and start acting out our parts."

Sakura's face fell. "Right," she said, disgruntled. "I have to be your unattractive wife while you flirt with a prostitute. Can't wait."

Shikamaru sighed and threw his head back. "Sakura, seriously. Will you give it a rest? No one said you're unattractive and, believe me, I'm not too keen on dealing with this Anzu lady either. If we even _find_ her, that is."

Sakura blew her bangs aside. "Let's just get this over with already." She began to descend into the valley and towards the town.

As the two neared the town's entrance, Shikamaru began to feel increasingly anxious about having to act with Sakura. Usually he felt confident about how a mission would play out, especially when it required this much planning. He was a master strategist and usually had some sort of control over the events that took place, but this time was different. Sakura was hotheaded and - worst of all - not listening to reason. She was acting on emotion and there was no telling if and when the kunoichi would cooperate with him.

The two ninja approached the town gate and shared a glance. "Ready for this?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura sighed and held out her hand. "No."

Shikamaru took a hold of her hand, noting how stiff she became at his touch. She was bristling with tension, the air around her feeling heavy and stifling. This was going to be long and difficult unless he could do something to fix this. If only he could make her see - he wasn't the bad guy she thought he was!

The two passed through the town gates of Tsumi and immediately took in their surroundings.

Shikamaru turned to his supposed wife and gave a fake smile. "Remember, we have to look like we're on vacation. Take in the sights and pretend to be amazed," He whispered as the two walked along the cobblestone path.

"I know, I know," Sakura said. "We should first check into a hotel and establish that as our base of operations. That way, we'll always have a place to return to and a guaranteed place to stay."

Shikamaru nodded. "Let's find a hotel, honey," he said, slightly louder than normal. With any hope, a civilian would hear him and give directions.

His wishes were granted.

A group of women, slightly older than the two leaf ninja, were walking by when Shikamaru announced his desire to find a hotel. One of them stopped and looked at the couple.

"Hi, are you two new here?" She asked kindly.

Shikamaru smiled and nodded, bringing Sakura's hand up and clasping his other hand over it. "We're on vacation."

"Well, there are only a few hotels in town, but I'm sure there should be some space for you two. If you just go straight from here, you'll find them. The first you'll find is hotel Tsumi, that'll be on your right. If you go a little further, you'll see the one closer to the beach, hotel Sea Foam. It's a little more expensive per night, but it's beautiful."

"Thank you," Sakura said, leaning her head on Shikamaru's arm. Shikamaru smiled as the woman returned to her group of friends. "See, honey? That was easy."

Sakura's eyes shot daggers at him.

"Let's check out the hotels, shall we?" Shikamaru said, avoiding Sakura's poisonous glare.

The two walked for some distance before coming across what seemed to be hotel Tsumi. From the outside it appeared to be a small quaint little place. The outer walls were a combination of cobblestone and wood, and the slanting roof was covered in black shingles. The capacity was small, judging from the building's relatively tiny size. They'd be lucky to find space there, but it looked cozy enough.

"Want to check out the inside?" Shikamaru asked.

Sakura gave him a defiant look. "No," she replied. "I don't like it."

"Do you want to go to the other hotel then?"

"I don't know, genius," Sakura spat.

Shikamaru felt his eye twitch involuntarily. Sakura was doing everything in her power to push his buttons, and it was working. Looking both ways to see if anyone was watching, Shikamaru discreetly but quickly pulled the pink-haired kunoichi into a narrow alley by the hotel.

"Hey, watch it!" Sakura yelped, pulling her hand free of Shikamaru's grip and giving him an angry glare. "What was that all about?"

Shikamaru gave her a hard stare. "Lower your voice, first of all."

"Fine," She huffed.

"You need to drop the attitude and remember that the mission is the top priority here," Shikamaru whispered sternly.

Sakura's eyes widened. "How dare you?!" She cried. "_I'm_ the one who needs to drop the attitude?! You need to stop treating me like shit and start acting like I'm a person! I have feelings, too! And what's with all of your sweet-talking nonsense?"

"I know you are, Sakura," he began with a sigh. "I know you're upset still, but I'm not _trying_ to be mean to you. And remember what Tsunade said? We need to convince everyone around us that we are a couple, even through our subtle interactions with one another. We can't be too over-the-top or it'll come across as fake. We also can't downplay our roles or it'll be obvious that we aren't really married. I need you to cooperate with me, you understand? You've been nothing but defiant and moody so far and that's a really good way to get the both of us killed."

Sakura lowered her gaze to the ground. As much as she hated to admit it, Shikamaru was right. She _had_ been doing everything she could to make things difficult for him, and really she was hurting the both of them in the process. She was wallowing in her own self-pity and at what cost? She could blow their cover and get them killed. Tsunade trusted them to do this job because she knew they were smart and the most fit for the job. The Hokage put her faith in her, and there was no way she could let her shishou down_._

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru," Sakura said, looking regretful but unhappy that he was right. She stared at the ground sheepishly. "I _have _been acting selfish and moody and there's absolutely no reason for me to jeopardize the mission because I feel sorry for myself. There's no excuse for that."

Shikamaru looked into his mission partner's emerald eyes as they continued to look at her feet. They were darkened with a genuine sadness and regret. He sighed lightly – maybe she would finally cooperate with him and they could get this mission going without a hitch. "Thank you for understanding, Sakura," he said. "We need to get along and I don't like arguing. It's too troublesome. Let's just get to the other hotel and check it out, okay?"

Sakura nodded and offered her hand, and the two emerged from the alley hand-in-hand. "So, what was this other hotel called? Hotel Sea Foam?" Sakura inquired as they walked down the street. Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, Hotel Sea Foam. Sounds like a beachy place to me, honestly. Perhaps it's along the shoreline or something."

"Do you really think it could be _on_ the beach?" Sakura asked. "That would be pretty nice."

Shikamaru let out a slow breath. "Well, it would make our job easier, that's for sure. We're supposed to spend a lot of time on the beach. Might as well have it right where we're staying, right?"

The two walked further along the street until they could clearly see a vast expanse of turquoise water stretch across the horizon. The air was filled with the sound of seabirds and people on the beach. "We're close!" Sakura said, pulling her hand free of Shikamaru's and running up ahead.

"Sakura, wait," Shikamaru cried, running after her. He caught up to the pink-haired kunoichi, who had stopped and begun to stare in amazement. Her mouth was wide open, and Shikamaru followed her gaze to the building in front of them.

It wasn't hard to understand why Sakura was seemingly lost for words. The structure in front of them was large, tall, and classy. The sides of the building were made of tan-colored polished granite, which was no doubt just as expensive as it looked. Potted tropical plants were situated at the entrance, adding a natural feel to the place. Pastel colored awnings shaded every doorway from the bright sun, and upon further inspection Shikamaru could see that each guest room had a balcony. This was hotel Sea Foam, and that woman who gave them directions was right – it was beautiful.

Shikamaru turned to Sakura. "So, you want to stay at this hotel instead?" He asked. She looked at him in surprise, her eyes shining eagerly. "_Can_ we?" She clasped her hands together and gave him her best puppy-dog eyes. Shikamaru shielded his eyes and turned away, smiling. "Alright, alright, just stop it with the eyes!" He joked. "Come on, let's go inside and see if they can fit us in."

The two walked up to the entryway and opened the heavy glass doors. Sakura gasped lightly when they walked into the hotel lobby, holding onto Shikamaru's arm as they walked.

"Hello and welcome to hotel Sea Foam," the woman behind the lobby desk greeted cheerfully. Sakura continued to take in the surroundings as Shikamaru discussed the rooming situation with the lady. It was just as beautiful inside the hotel as it was out. The polished stone walls were warm and inviting despite their cool hardness. A wine-colored carpet padded the parts of the floor that received the heaviest traffic, leading to the desk and out of the lobby, presumably to the hallways and rooms. Furniture made of white fabric and a rich mahogany wood decorated the sitting spaces, and more potted leafy palm plants were arranged along the walls and in the corners. In the waiting area, a giant water wall filled the room with the relaxing sound of trickling water. Sakura let out a dreamy sigh.

"Did you catch that, miss?"

The sound of the receptionist's voice shook Sakura out of her reverie. "I'm afraid I didn't," Sakura admitted. "Would you mind repeating it for me?"

The lady smiled and leaned forward on her desk. "It turns out that we do have two types of room available. You can have either an inside room with a hot tub or a room with a balcony overlooking the beach. Your husband says that the price of either type of room is just within budget, so it's up to you to decide which room you want."

Sakura looked at Shikamaru for an answer. He shrugged and gave a warm smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. "I'm good with either one, darling," he said. "The hot tub could be romantic, but it's hard to pass up the fresh air and the view from the balcony. It's your choice."

Sakura thought about that for a moment and settled on the easy choice. "Can we have a balcony room?" She asked Shikamaru. He nodded and looked at the lady behind the desk. "A balcony room _does_ sound nice," he agreed.

The lady nodded and began typing into her computer. "Will you be paying with cash or credit?" she asked, looking up from the artificial light of the computer monitor. Shikamaru widened his eyes for a second before pulling out his wallet. "Credit," he said with a smile, handing over a blue card. The lady took it and began typing some numbers into the computer.

"Name?"

"Uh…" Shikamaru paused, worry clouding his eyes for such a brief moment that if Sakura didn't know Shikamaru, she wouldn't have noticed it.

"Shikamaru," he said. Sakura looked at him in alarm, wondering why on earth he would use his real name when they were supposed to be under cover.

"No last name?" the receptionist asked, pausing her typing to quirk an eyebrow at the couple.

"Don't have one," Shikamaru said.

"Well… alright…" the lady said hesitantly. "Your card went through just fine, so everything checks out. Here are your room keys," she said, handing a card key to both Sakura and Shikamaru and returning the credit card. "You two will be staying in room 428. Go down the hallway to your right and take that elevator and you should be able to find your room."

"Thank you," Shikamaru said, squeezing Sakura's shoulder. The two of them headed down the hall to the elevator as directed by the receptionist. Once they were out of sight, Sakura dropped the act and distanced herself from Shikamaru ever so slightly. She would try to be civil around him, but she had no desire to be all lovey-dovey with him when she didn't need to be.

"So, why did you use your real name?" Sakura asked once the two of them were in the elevator alone.

Shikamaru pushed the 4th floor button. "We're so far from the leaf village that I figured it won't be much of a problem to use our first names. With fake names comes a lack of trust, and we might slip up and call each other by our real names anyways. That would just ruin the illusion we're trying to create."

Sakura frowned at him worriedly. She didn't quite follow his logic, but seeing as he was always thinking multiple steps ahead, she didn't question it. Instead, she brought up another worry.

"So... how are you paying for this?" Sakura asked, stealing a guilty glance at her mission partner. "I sure hope this isn't coming out-of-pocket."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Hell no, I would never be able to afford this hotel if it was coming out of my pocket. At least not for as long as we might be staying for."

"Then how…?"

"Lady Tsunade knew that staying here and enacting her plan would get expensive, so she opened an account specifically for this mission. There is a limited amount of money in it, but it should cover hotel costs."

The elevator chimed, signaling their arrival on the fourth floor.

…

"…426… 427… Ah! Here it is, room 428," Sakura said, sliding her card key into the electronic lock. The light on the handle turned to green and there was a click. Sakura smiled and turned the knob, eager to see what awaited them in the hotel room. Shikamaru followed after her, not quite sharing her enthusiasm but excited to see the room all the same.

Her mouth fell open as she walked through the large spacious room and headed right for the balcony, which was separated from the rest of the room by thin linen curtains and a sliding glass door. She walked out onto the balcony and leaned out, gasping at the sight.

Shikamaru walked into the room slowly and took note of the surroundings. An aqua blue rug carpeted most of the hardwood floor, the walls a clean eggshell white. He looked to his left and saw a spacious closet next to an open door, presumably leading to the bathroom. Shikamaru decided to check it out.

The bathroom was pristine and white without feeling too sterile or foreign. It felt welcoming and homey and he instantly felt himself relax a little. He walked back out of the bathroom and looked at Sakura, who was out on the balcony still. He felt himself smile involuntarily as he watched the pink-haired kunoichi out in the sun. Her hair was ruffled ever so slightly by the gentle sea breeze and he could guess that she was smiling a wide, genuine smile.

She was beautiful when she wasn't threatening to kill him.

She turned and saw him standing there by the bed and motioned for him to come join her out on the balcony. His smile grew and he obliged.

Shikamaru walked onto the balcony. It was small but cozy, partially shielded from the hot sun by a coral-pink awning. A small round table and two white beach chairs sat in the shade, but there was enough space to pull them into the sun if one so wished.

"So, do you like the room?" Shikamaru asked her, leaning on the balcony railing. She turned to him and gave a small smile.

Sakura's emerald eyes were a much brighter shade than before, in the alley. Her eyes were so expressive and beautiful.

"It's wonderful, Shikamaru," she said breathlessly. "Look at the view!"

Shikamaru looked out and saw the beach far below them, the ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. "I bet you can see some kickass sunsets from here," he mused. The two stood there for a while in comfortable silence, taking in the fresh air and the gorgeous view.

Finally, Sakura spoke. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I suppose we can either stay here and relax a little or we can start investigating… you know, go to the beach, show everyone there that we're "in love" and all that jazz… look for any clues about the killings," he reasoned. "Personally I'd rather stay here and sleep… but that's just me."

Sakura smiled. "That sounds like a nice idea actually. I'm kinda beat from all of this travel… and it's not often that we actually get the chance to relax on a mission."

The two walked back into the room and shut the sliding glass door behind them.

"Oh, hell no," Sakura said, raising her voice.

There was just one bed. Just one.

"There's only one?" Shikamaru asked, feeling his anxiety begin to crawl up his throat. Though he cared for the hotheaded kunoichi, he did not want this right now. This only added fuel to their tension. There was no way they could both sleep in the same bed, no matter how large it may be. It looked wide enough for three people to sleep on, and realistically they could probably both take a side and never run a chance of invading the other's space, but there was no way to bring that point up to her without enraging her further. He didn't want to add 'pervert' to the growing list of labels Sakura had assigned him over the past few days.

"I changed my mind," Sakura said, her tone much sharper than when they were out on the balcony. "Let's go to the beach."

"Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked her, eyes widened in worry.

Sakura looked at him fiercely. "We'll discuss the bed issue later," she said. "Let's just go to the beach now. We can't get too lazy on this mission."

Shikamaru sighed. "I suppose you're right."

Sakura shuffled through her purse and pulled out a scroll from her weapons pouch. In a puff of smoke, it opened up and revealed a few outfits and, from what Shikamaru could see, swimsuits.

She grabbed a green bikini and a bright yellow beach coverup and headed toward the bathroom. "I suggest you change too," she said icily.

She slammed the door louder than necessary and Shikamaru let out a groan. Since when had Sakura become this hardened, unfriendly stranger? She had always had a bit of a fiery temper, but most of the time she was sweet and cared about her teammates. And now... now she was nothing but hostile and moody as all hell. Any little thing he said or did - and even the things out of his control - had the power to set her over the edge. What changed?

Shikamaru massaged his temple with two fingers and gave a frustrated sigh. Maybe _he_ was the problem... she had very few actual issues with Naruto or Sai from what he could tell. Sure, they had their little squabbles, but she never seemed this angry with them, nor did she seem to hold a grudge like she was holding with Shikamaru.

He bent down and looked through his backpack for the scroll of beach things he packed. He stopped fumbling and paused to think again.

Maybe she really didn't like him, he realized with a bit of sadness. Maybe he really _was _the problem.

He wasn't content with that answer though. That just couldn't be. Once upon a time they were good friends. They used to play together all the time when they were younger and they had always had a comfortable relationship. And now that Sakura seemed to dislike him with every fiber of her being, he was perplexed. Could it really be all because of the bikini contest? She only started to bear this incredible grudge when she learned what the judges said about her and the fact that Shikamaru had been one of the judges.

Shikamaru clenched a fist and frowned. He hadn't held the same opinion as other judges at all... but Sakura didn't know that. If only there was a way of letting her know that without telling her the blatant embarrassing truth! There was no preedicting how she'd react if she heard Shikamaru's judging comments, and out of embarrassment he preferred that she didn't hear them at all. He couldn't handle her rejection, and it would make the mission too uncomfortable. Telling her would ruin everything.

For now, he'd have to grin and bear it, taking the brunt of her anger and frustration. With any luck, they would come to an agreement and things could go back to the way they were when they were friends.

The bathroom door clicked open and Sakura walked out, carrying her tote bag and a towel. She was wearing the yellow coverup as a strapless dress, the bright green straps of her bikini tied behind her neck. "You ready to go or not?"

Shikamaru cringed a little and went back to hastily searching his bag. "Not yet," he said hurriedly. His hand closed around the large scroll of beach things and he pulled it out.

In a puff of smoke, an array of beach attire and towels and things appeared. Shikamaru selected a pair of dark green swim trunks and felt eyes on him. He reluctantly glanced up at Sakura, who, sure enough, was glaring angrily.

"Don't get mad at me for not being ready yet, Sakura. I was waiting for you to finish changing," Shikamaru said matter-of-factly, standing up. "I'm going to go change now. Feel free to take whatever else you want for the beach."

…

This whole situation was downright uncomfortable when it shouldn't have been. Mission partners needed to be comfortable with one another in order for things to go as planned, and so far this was nothing but torture. Shikamaru wasn't sure how they would ever complete the mission if things kept going the way they were.

And now he found himself on the beach with Sakura, whose negativity was almost palpable. Though she put on a cheery exterior for their husband-and-wife act, Shikamaru could sense the hatred rolling off of her in waves. She was in just as foul of a mood as ever, and it seemed that even the littlest of things could set her off. Shikamaru felt like he was walking on eggshells around her.

They were sitting on a large beach blanket, shaded by the beach umbrella Shikamaru packed. Normally this would be the perfect time to nap, but they had a job to do. While he was reclined on the blanket, Shikamaru scanned the area for any suspicious activity.

Really though, this wouldn't reveal anything if the criminal they were looking for was as skilled as Tsunade had warned. Anzu wouldn't be careless, she would blend in just as the two leaf ninja were attempting to do. Still, Shikamaru felt hopeful that this would be a good place to look. At the very least, they would make themselves known to other beachgoers and this would help strengthen the image they were assigned to create.

So far, they had only interacted with one person on the beach, and it had been a woman who seemed more interested in Shikamaru than anything else. Sakura played the part of the jealous wife very convincingly and made sure the woman knew they were 'married,' but not before the damage was already done. She was angrier than ever, and Shikamaru was sure he would pay the price.

"So, _darling_," Shikamaru began, glancing over at his pink-haired companion. "Are you still angry with me?"

Sakura's glare shot daggers at Shikamaru, and he got his answer right away.

"How troublesome… ugh. Sakura, what's wrong?"

"What do you think, genius?" She asked, lowering her voice. Her tone was dark and dangerous again.

"For crying out loud, Sakura…" Shikamaru groaned, throwing his head back. "That woman wasn't hitting on me. If this is just an act, why are you so angry?"

Sakura growled. "First of all, you said to make this as believable as possible. That means acting out the part at all times as long as we're in public, correct?"

Shikamaru sighed. "…Correct."

Sakura gave him a smug look. "Then why would I drop the 'jealous wife' act?"

"I can tell that you're mad at me for real, though."

Sakura furrowed her brow. "Well I can't figure out why that skank hit on you. Why _you_?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Do I detect jealousy?"

Sakura's face reddened and she turned away quickly. "Oh please. Get over yourself."

Shikamaru adjusted his sunglasses and smirked to himself. Whether or not Sakura intended to sound jealous was something Shikamaru didn't care to analyze, but the prospect still brought a goofy smile to his face.

"I mean, why would she hit on_ you_? Sorry, but you're not exactly the most attractive guy here."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Ouch.

"Well I know I'm not the most attractive person in the world, Sakura. I don't intend to be, either. I'm perfectly aware of the fact that I'm average-looking at best."

"Hmph. Whatever."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and leaned back onto the blanket with a light groan. It was nice and warm out here, and really he could just fall asleep. It would be so easy and he could temporarily escape from the tension caused by his angry teammate. Then again, falling asleep in the sun with this much skin exposed was a great way to get a sunburn. Shikamaru hated being sunburned.

"Come on, big boy, let's go back to my place!" A loud and rather annoying voice called from about 20 feet away.

"Shikamaru, look," Sakura said, sounding concerned.

"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered, sitting up and looking out over his sunglasses. "What is it?"

Sakura was looking forward and Shikamaru followed her gaze. It wasn't hard to see what she was looking at. Closer to the shoreline stood a woman with long brown hair and a very skimpy black bikini. She had what most women would call a perfect figure, with a slender waist and large breasts and hips.

Ick.

Shikamaru immediately sensed something off about her and he didn't like it.

"Come on," she called. That loud voice from before had belonged to her, and it was definitely what Shikamaru would consider annoying.

A man who looked to be older than her joined her by the shoreline, and the two walked away. The scene would have gone relatively unnoticed by other beachgoers, or at least not considered important enough to acknowledge, but Shikamaru and Sakura were attentive.

The two leaf ninja exchanged a glance as soon as the couple had left the vicinity. "That was rather odd, don't you think?" Sakura asked. "I mean, it wasn't necessarily what she said or how they acted that makes me wonder, but..."

"There was just something weird about her," Shikamaru said, finishing Sakura's thought. "Something about that whole thing just felt strange to me too. I can't say exactly why though."

Sakura nodded at her teammate. "Maybe I'm crazy, but the woman had this ominous chakra, I could feel it. She was suppressing it, but it was a pretty feeble attempt because I could still sense it."

Shikamaru widened his eyes. "I didn't even notice that. Do you think she's a ninja? And if so, what does it mean?"

"I'm not sure what it means, but it could be important. Let's talk about this more back in the room," Sakura suggested.

"Good call," Shikamaru said.

The two stood up and began packing up their beach stuff. Shikamaru picked up the blanket and began to shake off the sand while Sakura folded the umbrella.

"Hurry up so we can have a little fun back in the room," Sakura said in that overly sweet acting tone of hers, only this time her voice was tinged with seductive undertones. Anyone around them would suspect that the husband and wife duo was just going back to their hotel room to be together, but Shikamaru knew it was a farce. He cursed silently, hating himself for how much he loved hearing her say those words to him.

_Dammit woman, don't tease me..._

He hated himself for wishing she meant it, but he knew it was all just an act.

...

"That woman had chakra," Sakura said as soon as they arrived back in the hotel room.

"Yeah, you said that before," Shikamaru said, setting down the beach blanket and umbrella into the open closet space. "If she had chakra and she was attempting to suppress it, then there's reason to assume that she's a ninja."

Sakura adjusted her yellow beach coverup. She hadn't taken it off once, even when they were on the beach sunbathing. In Shikamaru's opinion it looked rather cute on her, though he didn't want to admit that to her. "If she's a ninja, then there's a very slight possibility that could have been our target."

"...Or she could just be a regular old shinobi on vacation," Shikamaru reasoned. "She could have been suppressing her chakra to hide her ninja status because it's dangerous in this town and she doesn't want to be killed. It's also possible that she_ is_ the target and she was only suppressing her chakra poorly because she didn't think there were others nearby who could sense it. It's hard to tell at this point, but at least we have someone to keep an eye on for now."

Sakura looked hopeful. "And if you think about it, her behavior matched the profile of the target according to lady Tsunade. I mean, she _was_ physically attractive, which would make sense considering her background as a prostitute. She was also pushy and loud and she had a man in tow."

In Shikamaru's opinion, it seemed as though all women were pushy and loud, but he could see Sakura's point. Still...

"For all we know, she _could_ be the one we're looking for. You're right about that. We can't do anything until we're certain about it though. It couldn't just be _that_ easy to find her, could it?" Shikamaru said.

Sakura set her bag down on the bed and began rifling through her things. "I know it seems highly unlikely that we could just find our criminal target so easily, but we can't just rule her out either. We need a lot more evidence before we can make a move."

She pulled out a hairbrush and a change of clothes and headed off to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower to rinse off the sand," she said, closing the door.

Shikamaru sighed and reclined on the bed. "Alright," he said. "Enjoy."

* * *

Sakura swallowed the last of her drink and slammed the glass down on the table. "Another," she said, her voice cold and distant. Shikamaru looked on as his 'wife' demanded her fifth drink that night. "Sakura..."

Sakura looked at him, a fierce rage burning in her otherwise glazed-over eyes. "I need this Shikamaru, and don't you fucking tell me otherwise, you ass-faced cuntmuffin."

Drunken Sakura had a way with colorful insults, Shikamaru had discovered. "Sakura, I think you should just slow down a little, that's all. Be safe."

The two had gone to the local bar upon Sakura's request (well, _demands_), and so far the night was turning out worse than Shikamaru imagined.

After a terrible day, getting drunk was exactly what Sakura felt the need to do. She didn't do it often because, well, she was a medic for goodness sakes! She knew the harmful effects that alcohol had on the body, but the pink-haired kunoichi seemed to occasionally turn to one of her mentor's bad habits when she needed an escape.

Today was a day from hell and Sakura felt she needed a good hard drinking session. She had been paired with that lazy asshole Shikamaru to play husband and wife and already it was torture. She honestly didn't have any negative feelings toward Shikamaru prior to Tsunade's mission briefing, but upon hearing what those imbecile judges said about her, she found out just what kind of person Shikamaru really was. That hurt.

On top of her new-found dislike of the Nara (or, perhaps, _because_ of her disdain) his mannerisms pissed her off to no end. He was so into playing his role as the husband and it sickened her. He had the sweet-talking down pat, which worked in their favor, but seriously, it was getting really irritating really fast. She was _not_ his sweetheart.

Just as she was settling down a little and they were starting their investigation on the beach, Shikamaru set her off again.

...Even though it wasn't _really_ his fault. He wasn't asking for some bimbo to flirt with him, but blaming him for everything was the easier option. But then he refused to let her go drinking alone, which resulted in her sour mood at the bar.

Shikamaru was convinced that she really was drunk, which actually worked in Sakura's favor. She was a medical ninja and could filter a majority of the alcohol from her bloodstream and make her body metabolize it faster. Shikamaru didn't know that, though, so she could appear wasted without actually being intoxicated. She could spew insults at him to her heart's content and he couldn't blame her because she was 'drunk.'

The bartender came over with another drink for Sakura, and she took it eagerly. She held the cold glass between her hands and felt a tingle down her spine. Without openly showing her alarm, she casually glanced over her shoulder. Her suspicions were confirmed and she saw the same man and woman from the beach, only now the woman was wearing a skintight red dress and her eyes scanned the crowd hungrily. Sakura had felt the woman's chakra as soon as she entered the room.

Her long, glossy brown hair fell over her shoulders in waves and ended mid-waist. She was wearing a considerable amount of dramatic makeup – bold smoky eyeshadow, dark mascara, and bright red lipstick. She had high, well-defined cheekbones, and her lips had a bit of a natural pout to them. Her expression was calm, cool, and in-control. Hungry. Bitchy.

Sakura turned around in her seat and took a deep breath. What she was about to do would either be humiliating or it would give them information, but she was going to have to really put on a show here. It was the time to act wasted and get the woman's attention.

Sakura giggled loudly and took a long swig of her drink, one hand lightly shoving Shikamaru on the shoulder.

"Sakura, I think you've had enough to drink," Shikamaru said, concerned. "C'mon, let's just go."

"Whaaaat? Nooo," Sakura slurred loudly, putting a goofy grin on her face. "I think yoou've had n-... uhh, _not_ enough to drink, that's the problem."

Shikamaru held out his hands cautiously. "Sh-shh, keep your voice down," he said quietly. "You're starting to create a scene."

Sakura haphazardly glanced behind her and saw the woman still standing across the room, but she was watching them curiously.

Okay, we've piqued her interest. Now it's time to seal the deal.

Sakura stared until she made eye contact with the woman, and when their eyes met Sakura gave her best lazy drunken smile. The woman narrowed her eyes, smiled, and began to approach the leaf ninja.

Yes! _Gotcha_!

"You, you know what?" Sakura slurred to Shikamaru. She was really laying it on thick here, and she hoped this would pay off. "Your hair is shaped like a pineapple. You ever nnnotice that?"

Shikamaru looked at Sakura worriedly. "Sakura, I need to take you home," he said, lowering his voice. "If you drink any more, you're going to get hurt and I don't want that to happen. I don't want you to be sick."

He was speaking from his heart, and his concern wasn't just an act, but it didn't really matter whether or not Sakura knew that. His genuine concern could easily pass as convincing acting if it had to.

"I'm fiiiine."

Shikamaru had a light frown on his face, his characteristic 'how troublesome' expression forming. He also looked weary and it was at that moment that Sakura realized how hard she was making it for Shikamaru.

Wow. Now that she thought about it, she realized that he was being incredibly tolerant of all her bullshit. She didn't need to fire those harsh insults at him, no matter how upset she was at the time. Though she still wasn't too fond of him at the moment, she still had enough mind to take a step back and appreciate that he calmly sat through all of her verbal assault while taking it like a champ. He hadn't fired back once, and she could see that her attacks were running him ragged. Maybe she should ease up a bit.

"Hi, are you two new here?" A deep, sultry voice asked from behind their bar stools. They both turned and faced the other direction to see that woman standing close.

"As a matter of fact, we are," Shikamaru said warily. "Is that a concern of yours?"

The woman looked a bit shocked by Shikamaru's attitude, but she smirked all the same. "I was just curious, that's all," she shrugged. "I don't know, I just felt... drawn to you," she continued, giving Sakura a glance. Sakura gave a sloppy smile and threw in a hiccup for good measure.

"You seem like such a nice couple," the woman continued. "What are your names?"

"Miiine's Sakura," the pink-haired kunoichi slurred. "This here's my hubby Shika-kun."

Shikamaru gave Sakura a pained look before looking back at the woman. "You'll have to excuse my wife," he apologized. "She's had a few too many. The name's Shikamaru."

The woman squinted and smiled amiably at Shikamaru, which should have eased any worries that he had, but there was still something off about her. "My name is Anzu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Shikamaru felt his heart stop upon hearing the woman's name. He looked at his 'wife,' hoping that he didn't appear too surprised, and right away he caught her glance.

Her eyes sobered for a second and immediately he knew what she was up to.

"Anzu, you said?" Shikamaru asked. The woman nodded.

"What a pretty name."

Anzu smirked and shifted her weight, sticking out her hip a little. Her gaze hadn't left the face of the lazy leaf ninja, and she almost appeared infatuated.

So that was the reason Sakura created such a big scene. She must have sensed that Anzu had entered the room and made a scene to get her attention. Sakura's gut instinct had paid off tremendously, it seemed. Now it was time to play along and get closer to Anzu and see if she was the one they were looking for.

"You think my name is pretty?" Anzu flirted, leaning on the back of his bar stool.

Shikamaru gulped and glanced at his 'wife,' who had busied herself with swirling the drink around in her glass.

"Your name isn't the only thing I think is pretty," Shikamaru ventured. Anzu looked surprised for a moment and then gave Shikamaru a knowing glance. "You're not too bad on the eyes either, ponytail," Anzu said. "Not too bad at all. You could stand to smile a little, though. I think a smile would look good on you."

Shikamaru gave her a look that he hoped made him appear interested. "Nah, I don't smile much," he replied. "I look goofy if I smile."

Anzu set a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder and looked at him with a smirk. She had these intimidating golden-colored eyes that gave her the appearance of a cat on the hunt. "Maybe you can come back to my place and I'll see if I can make you smile."

Her flirting was disgustingly blatant, and if he could, he would be rolling his eyes. She was so predatory and her attempts to lure him in were smooth but obvious. He supposed that an unhappy or desperate man might fall for her without second thought.

Shikamaru looked at Anzu with wide eyes. "Oh, I don't know... I can't. I'd love to, but I really should be taking care of my wife," he said, looking both apologetic and reluctant. He needed to keep Anzu's attention enough to get close to her, but he still had to stay in character. He was playing the role of a man so enamored with his wife that he would never consider cheating... unless it was with Anzu.

Anzu pouted a little. "Oh come on, it'll be fun! She's too drunk to even care at the moment, so why not?"

Shikamaru looked at Sakura lovingly. "My conscience wouldn't let me do that."

After a sigh, Shikamaru continued. "...Maybe we can do something some other time, though," he said, lowering his voice and giving what he hoped was a suggestive look. Anzu smiled and narrowed her eyes. "That sounds good. I'll be seeing you around, then?"

"Oh, you bet."

Anzu gave him a nod and began to walk towards the other man and out of sight.

The two leaf ninja were silent for a few moments, until Sakura put down her glass. "She's gone. I can't feel her chakra in here."

She turned to Shikamaru with a wide grin and caught his amazed look.

"How? How did you know!?" He cried, ecstatic.

"I just had a feeling," Sakura said, equally as excited. "Oh, give me a hug!"

Shikamaru pulled the pinkette into an embrace without second thought and squeezed her tight. "This is huge," he said, pulling apart and facing her.

Sakura was thrilled that the ridiculous act she put on actually paid off. "Let's go back to the room," she said, lowering her voice. "I'm going to be the drunken wife again, so you play the concerned husband okay?"

The two stood up from their bar stools. "Let's take you back, sweetie," Shikamaru said aloud.

"But I'm fiiiiine," Sakura slurred, stumbling out of her seat.

Shikamaru put her arm around his shoulders and supported her as they walked. "You need some rest."

The two walked like this all the way back to the hotel. Sakura made sure to appear intoxicated without overdoing it. She walked clumsily while Shikamaru supported her and made sure she didn't fall. They had gotten a few odd looks from passerby, but Shikamaru paid little attention to them. He didn't like being judged, but it was all part of the act and he'd need to grin and bear it.

They arrived at the hotel shortly after they left the bar. As they entered the lobby and began walking past the desk, Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the strange and disapproving look they were getting from the receptionist.

Well, this probably didn't look too good. He wasn't about to go take advantage of his intoxicated wife, but he realized it probably seemed that way.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and stopped in front of the desk. "Hi, can I get an extra ice bucket sent up to room 428?"

The receptionist nodded, though she still looked unsure.

Shikamaru smiled. "Thanks. My wife had a few too many and I want to make sure she drinks enough water."

They continued to the elevator and all the way up to the fourth floor before separating and walking as though they hadn't just been drinking.

Sakura unlocked their room and the two went inside. When the door was shut and they were sure no one else was around, Sakura began jumping up and down excitedly. "I can't believe we did that! This is huge!"

Shikamaru sighed and sat down in the desk chair beside the bed. "I'm having a hard time believing that we pulled it off, but we did! I think she's interested enough in me to want to get closer, but we established our roles very well."

Sakura flopped down on the bed, a huge smile on her face. "I just had this feeling about her," she said in amazement. "I had a hunch."

"And you didn't even let me in on it," commented Shikamaru. "You had me so convinced that you were actually wasted. It's probably better that I thought you were, though. It made for a more realistic reaction."

Sakura turned to Shikamaru. "Did you see the way she was eating you up? That _has_ to be our target! I mean, how many women in this town match the criteria so well? I mean, her name, her behavior..."

Shikamaru smiled. "I can't believe she would let her guard down like that and revealed her identity. If her name _is_ actually Anzu, then this is huge. We now know what she looks like, what beach she frequents, and even the bar that she visits."

Sakura folded her arms and smirked. "You're welcome."

"Seriously, thank you Sakura. This gives us so much more to work with. Very convincing acting."

"You did very well too."

"And now we can move on with it," Shikamaru continued. "You know, play our parts as the vacationing couple while we track her. We'll run into her a few times, get closer, gather enough information, and if she's the one, we kill her."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "We can't run into her too often, though, or she'll know something's up. We need to take it slow and act like a couple on vacation. We can't just run in there and kill her without solid evidence."

"We have to be cautious," Shikamaru agreed. "There's a good chance that she didn't suspect much when she shared her name, but it doesn't mean we can keep our guard down. She'll be careful from here on out."

"You're right about that. So what do you suggest we do tomorrow?"

Shikamaru made a face. "Why are you asking me?"

"You're the tactical genius. What's the game plan?"

He had already thought a little about the plan of action. Right now their most important goal was gaining evidence still, and they couldn't narrow their scope to one suspect just yet. They had to see if anyone else was out there. Besides, if they followed Anzu around, she might get suspicious that something else was going on. They needed to go through a regular vacation day and establish themselves as the vacationing husband and wife.

Shikamaru inwardly blushed, realizing that the option he was thinking of would not only be advantageous to the mission but also it would allow him to spend time with Sakura. Was it wrong of him to benefit from this as well?

"Well, since we're taking the slow and cautious approach, I think we should act like a couple tomorrow. If we run into Anzu, it really will be by chance. We should have a romantic day and establish our characters to everyone around us."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "So what's your idea of a romantic day, then?"

Shikamaru smirked a little. "Well, if I was dating you or married to you, I would first treat you to breakfast in bed, followed by a walk around town so we could do some sightseeing. I'd take you on a romantic picnic for lunch on the beach and then we could lie in the sun while I hold you in my arms. After that we could go for a swim and then return to the hotel and relax or go in the hot tub later. Then we'd order wine and chocolates for a night in."

"That sounds like it would be too troublesome," Sakura teased lightly. "You're too lazy to actually put in that much work."

Shikamaru frowned. "Love is troublesome, yes, but I would gladly do all of those things for the one I care about."

That sentiment was very true, and Shikamaru made a mental note to do everything he mentioned. He was, after all, still rather taken with her despite all of the crap she had given him so far.

Sakura looked down at the bedspread. _It sounds like the perfect mushy romantic day... He's really put thought into it and I hate to admit that I like the sound of that... not with Shikamaru, though! No, I just like the sound of the stuff we're going to do, that's all._

_If that's how he would honestly treat his wife, then it's not wrong for me to be thinking this way about him, right? He's just shown that he'll be the perfect spouse for someone someday._

"Well anyhow, it sounds like you're planning ahead," Sakura said with a yawn.

"When am I _not_ planning ahead?" Shikamaru asked. It was a rhetorical question. Shikamaru was always careful and calculating, staying ten steps ahead of the enemy. Having a day planned out was a no-brainer.

Sakura yawned again and Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk a little. She looked very cute when she was sleepy. "Wanna get to bed soon?" He asked.

Sakura nodded and looked at him wearily. "I call the bed," she said. "Sorry, but we're not sharing."

"I didn't think we were going to," Shikamaru muttered with a sigh.

Sakura gave him a funny look and Shikamaru immediately wondered what he did. Did he accidentally sound disappointed that they would be sleeping separate?

Though he really didn't have his hopes up, there was still that small amount of disappointment that always comes with pseudo-rejection. More importantly, he became worried that Sakura suspected he _did_ feel disappointment and that he _did_ think they were going to share a bed. He wasn't ready for her to find out about his feelings yet.

He sighed again, feeling somewhat vexed and defeated. "I'll sleep on the floor if it makes you happy."

With that, Shikamaru stood up from the desk chair and stretched a little. Sakura handed him a blanket and a pillow from the large bed, and Shikamaru began to make a space for himself on the floor.

Sakura had already crawled under the covers and began to settle in. Shikamaru chuckled to himself, noting how adorable she seemed when she wasn't angrily tearing his head off. Maybe it was the alcohol that made her so sleepy (face it, even though she knew that cool blood filtering trick, she had still consumed quite a lot of alcohol), but it was like someone had flipped a switch. Sakura was out.

Shikamaru walked over to the light switch and turned it off before returning to his spot beside the bed. Taking off his shirt and getting comfortable, he laid back. "Goodnight, Sakura."

* * *

**Thoughts? Comments? Constructive criticism? Leave a review! I should have the next chapter up when I can! And as always, thank you for reading :) **

**-Gallade**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow! 33 followers and 23 favorites! You are all wonderful!  
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**Thank you guys for reading still! I really appreciate it :)**

**Enjoy!**

**-Gallade**

* * *

"Shikamaru, wake up."

"Hhm?" Shikamaru opened his eyes and saw Sakura leaning off the bed, her emerald eyes focused intently on him. She wore a sly little smile.

"Why are you sleeping on the floor, silly?" She asked.

Shikamaru blinked a few times. "...Because you asked me to? I thought you said we weren't sharing the bed."

"I changed my mind. Come up here."

Wait, _what_?

Shikamaru shook his head, wondering what the hell was happening. This seemed too good to be true... Sakura was inviting him to sleep next to her! Normally he wouldn't be so eager to join her or to make any sudden moves, but why the hell not? He was feeling strangely gutsy.

Shikamaru stood next to the bed, eyeing Sakura warily. The pinkette made no effort to scooch over and make room for the lazy ninja, instead patting the spot right next to her. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, wondering what changed between now and earlier.

Why was Sakura suddenly inviting him to sleep with her? Maybe she didn't want him to be uncomfortable on the floor or something along those lines, but then again it didn't quite fit the puzzle. Sakura had been adamant about having the bed all to herself.

"You're sure about this?" Shikamaru asked.

Sakura narrowed her luminous emerald eyes and began to get up out of bed. Shikamaru gulped as the sheet fell away from her creamy bare skin and suddenly he was facing a very beautiful and very naked Sakura.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Shikamaru stammered nervously. He became aware of the tightening in his pants and wondered if she knew what she was doing to him.

"Don't question it, just come here," Sakura said seductively. "I know you want this."

Shikamaru's growing erection hardened more at her tone of voice and he took a tentative step forward.

Sakura grabbed the sides of his face and leaned in slowly, her eyes smoldering with lust. If Shikamaru wasn't such a patient man, he would have lost all control and impatiently smashed their lips together. But he didn't, and the tension rose to a palpable level.

Sakura was inches away from his face and Shikamaru found himself leaning in to meet her lips with his.

...

Shikamaru opened his eyes and felt his heart racing. He groggily turned his head and realized that he was back on the floor.

It was just a dream.

Well not just a dream, it was _that kind_ of dream. He'd be lying if he said that this was the first time he had dreamt about Sakura in that way.

Only this time, it was incredibly inconvenient, as he was in the very same room as the woman who turned him on in his sleep. He was still hard and had no way of taking care of the problem. Very troublesome.

He glanced up at the bed and saw that Sakura was still asleep. Good.

It was about time to start the day anyways, so he'd might as well get a jump on it.

Shikamaru rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had slept on the floor in the wide space between the bed and the balcony door. Daylight had begun to peek through the linen curtains, lighting up the room.

He stood up and stretched, making sure to be as quiet as possible and not wake up his sleeping partner. He was still going through with his plans for the day. He looked around for the shirt he discarded last night and found it among the blankets. Puzzled, he found a blanket in the pile that he didn't remember falling asleep with. Come to think of it, the very same blanket was on top of him when he had woken up.

Sakura must have put it on him during the night, he realized. Maybe he looked cold or something, who knows, but the little gesture made Shikamaru smile in appreciation. For someone who had done everything in her power to show him how much she disliked him, it was a sweet thing for her to do.

He put the shirt on and very quietly slipped out the door.

...

Sakura awoke to the sound of the door shutting. Alarmed, she sat straight up and looked around for any intruders. "Who's there?" She cried.

She saw no one and realized that whoever it was must have been leaving. That worried her all the same... had someone managed to get in the room without her knowing? What had they done? Dammit, she should have known better than to let her guard down!

She paused and realized that Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen. She also realized that something smelled absolutely delicious in here and that she could hear the shower going.

She turned her head to look at the desk and saw a stack of blueberry pancakes, a side of syrup, and a cup of coffee. Everything was still piping hot too, by the looks of it.

Widening her eyes, she remembered what Shikamaru had told her the night before. He said that he'd start the day by surprising her with breakfast in bed, and indeed he had kept his word. She didn't expect him to _actually_ follow through with it!

She pulled back the covers and set foot on the plush carpeted floor, stretching and still in the process of waking up. Getting her breakfast was a really sweet thing for Shikamaru to do. She heard the shower still running and pieced it all together. The sound of the door shutting must have been the hotel employee who brought the pancakes. Shikamaru had gone and requested them before taking a shower, which he was currently doing. She had to thank him.

She walked over to the bathroom door and tested the knob. The door wasn't locked, and she slowly opened the door.

"Good morning, Shikamaru," she called as she opened the door.

"Huh...? Oh god, Sakura!"

Sakura walked in and immediately let out a small embarrassed gasp at the realization of what she'd done.

The shower had no curtain, just a frosted glass door. Shikamaru was standing there, and if she could see his facial expression she was sure he would look utterly petrified.

"Ahh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize!" She cried, turning and facing away.

"Troublesome woman, what are you doing in here?!"

Sakura blushed a little, embarrassed. "I forgot there wasn't a curtain! I just wanted to thank you for the pancakes."

Shikamaru sighed. "You're welcome."

"I didn't think you'd actually get me breakfast in bed."

"I told you I would, and I'm keeping my word."

Sakura smiled a little. He really wasn't so lazy after all if he was willing to go through all of the trouble of getting her breakfast. It was sweet.

"Please leave..." He said, sounding pained.

"Oh, right," Sakura said. "You don't have to ask me twice."

"...Troublesome woman."

Sakura walked out of the bathroom, her face feeling hot. It must be from the steam or something. Yeah, that was it.

She went over to the desk and eyed the pancakes hungrily. She didn't normally eat like this. Kunoichi had to make sure they were in good shape (well _all_ ninja did, but...), and this often meant cutting back on the sweets. Their physically demanding jobs required that they carried little to no extra weight. The pancakes looked so delicious though and it would be a waste to just leave them there, right...?

Sakura smirked to herself and sat at the desk chair, picking up the fork. Oh well, she could justify the extra calories right now. They were on a type of vacation, if you looked at it a certain way. She could afford to indulge a little. Why waste good food when it was brought to you on a silver platter?

She poured a little syrup over the pancakes and eagerly dug in.

They were sweet and warm and cakey in consistency, practically melting when they met her tongue. The blueberries were sweet and plump. This was heaven on a plate! Sakura felt herself blush a little as she continued to eat.

A few minutes passed while she ate slowly, savoring every bite. The bathroom door opened and she turned to see Shikamaru walk out, a towel around his waist. His shoulder-length hair was down and still wet.

Sakura cried out and averted her eyes. It wasn't as if she was appalled by his nakedness, it was just that she was still a little jumpy from walking in on him before. Seeing him shirtless had surprised her.

"Oh relax," he said, walking over to his bag of stuff and pulling out a few articles of clothing. "It's not the first time you've seen me shirtless, Sakura. But actually, keep looking the other way for a little while I get dressed.

Sakura nodded quickly and took a sip from the coffee mug while Shikamaru changed.

He had his hair down. _His hair was down_! She almost felt like it was something she wasn't supposed to see. He always had his hair tied back and she felt that very few people got the privilege to see him any other way. He didn't look half bad with his hair down. Actually, it was sort of attractive and Sakura mentally slapped herself for thinking it.

"You can turn around now," his lazy voice said.

Sakura swiveled in the desk chair and saw him in a shirt and pair of swim shorts. His hair was already tied back and he smiled lazily at her.

"I hope the breakfast is to your liking," he said, sitting on the bed and digging through his bag again.

Sakura nodded fervently and smiled. "The pancakes are delicious, Shikamaru. Thank you for everything."

He pulled out a stick of deodorant and began to put it on. Sakura looked at the little bit of toned stomach that peeked out from under his shirt and gulped nervously. She averted her eyes and looked at his face instead. "So are we going to do everything you said before?"

Shikamaru nodded and capped the deodorant. "That's the plan. Unless you want to do something else, that is. Feel free to tell me if you do."

Sakura sipped her coffee again. "Your plan sounds great."

"Alright, so let's get ready for the day," he suggested. "We'll be walking around town and going to the beach, so be ready for that."

Sakura nodded and walked over to her bag.

...

She walked out of the bathroom minutes later wearing a somewhat sheer green sundress over a red bikini. "Ready," she said.

Shikamaru was reclined on the now neatly-made bed. "Great," he said with a smile. He put on his backpack and sat up, slipping into a pair of sandals. "Let's go."

They grabbed their keys and day things and left the hotel.

...

Shikamaru took Sakura's hand and held it gently as they walked. They needed to look like a couple.

"Where should we go first?" Sakura asked, looking at her fellow leaf ninja. Shikamaru looked at her and smiled amiably. "I'm not sure, I just thought we could walk. If we see anything that catches our eyes, we can stop and check it out."

Sakura felt a smile stretch across her face and she looked ahead to avoid smiling at Shikamaru. This was all just the act. He was being nice so he could convince others of their relationship, that was all. It's not like he was actually taking her on a date or anything.

The two walked along the bustling stone street path, appearing to others as a couple very much in love and happy with one another. They walked a block in comfortable silence before Sakura began to speak.

"Look, Shikamaru," she said, stopping and pointing.

"What?"

Shikamaru saw what she was pointing at and smiled. They had walked into what looked like a public market or something. All sorts of stands were arranged alongside the road. Fresh local produce lent color and brightness to the scene, while other merchants sold their wares.

Shikamaru and Sakura walked through slowly, taking in all the sights. Carts of fresh fish on ice were situated next to vegetable and fruit vendors. Being right on the sea, Shikamaru suspected that the fish were caught right in town this morning.

Another stand had crabs and monstrous lobsters and other shellfish. The next stand had what appeared to be hand-woven baskets. Shikamaru stopped, intrigued.

"Did you make these?" He asked the old man behind the stand. The man nodded eagerly, a kind smile on his face. "I sure did. Are you interested in buying one?"

Shikamaru smiled and reached in his pocket. "The craftsmanship is wonderful. I would like to buy a picnic basket."

Sakura looked at the leaf shinobi, confused. Why he wanted a picnic basket (of all things) was beyond her, but he certainly had an eye for quality. The old man selected a medium one with tight weaving and a top that flipped open on both sides. The handle was sturdy and when Shikamaru held it he knew that it would hold up against heavy loads.

Shikamaru pulled out some paper money and coins and handed them to the old man with a smile. "Keep the change, sir," he said.

The man looked delighted and genuinely grateful. "Th-thank you, young man! You are so kind."

"Don't mention it," Shikamaru said, taking hold of Sakura's hand and starting to walk again.

"Why a picnic basket?" Sakura asked, keeping her voice low.

"Well I said I would take you to the beach for a picnic, didn't I?" Shikamaru asked. "Didn't have a picnic basket until now."

With that, Shikamaru stopped and tucked the basket safely into his large backpack

Sakura quirked an eyebrow, realizing that he intended to do everything he said he would, even if it cost him extra. Her face pinkened at the realization that he was going to go all out for her.

He stood back up and held her hand once again.

As they walked, Sakura subconsciously squeezed Shikamaru's hand, which surprised him. He looked at the kunoichi as she stared ahead, her short hair fluttering lightly in the sea breeze. She was smiling.

It was beautiful. She seemed genuinely happy and it was incredible. She wasn't plotting to kill him and she wasn't chewing him out, nor did she seem to have any pent-up anger. She was enjoying their date so far and having a good time, and that alone made him feel good.

They had definitely made progress from when they began traveling... Sakura wasn't angry or hostile.

He knew her compliance was an act, but he still relished the fact that he could hold Sakura's hand without being beaten to a pulp. If they were back in Konoha, there was no way she would choose to associate with him like this. Even if she wasn't actually into dating him, he was glad to have the opportunity to pretend. It would probably be the only chance he got.

A light breeze blew into his face and he caught the sweet, wild smell of flowers. He turned his head and saw a flower shop near the edge of the market.

"Let's check out those flowers, okay?" He said, looking at her sweetly.

"Okay," she said almost breathlessly.

They walked over and saw a humble assortment of blossoms, some arranged in bouquets of every size and color and combination imaginable and some sold as single flowers. Why, for its size this stand rivaled the variety carried by the Yamanaka flower shop back home.

"Hello, may I help you with something?" The young woman in the shop asked. She had a bright smile on her face.

"Just looking," Shikamaru said. "See anything you like, honey?" He put an arm around Sakura's waist and held her lovingly.

Sakura shook her head and smiled politely. "They're all so vivid and pretty. You know you don't need to buy me flowers, though, Shikamaru." It was said out of concern and kindness, not in rejection of his sentiment.

Shikamaru's chocolate-brown eyes scanned the selection of flowers and immediately saw what he wanted to buy.

Gardenias.

Shikamaru looked at his partner out of the corner of his eye and wondered if Ino had taught her the alphabet of flowers when they were younger.

The Yamanakas and the Naras were close because of their fathers' long-standing friendship, and so Ino and Shikamaru, along with Choji, had often played together when they were younger. Ino had taught him (read: _forced him to learn_) the meanings of flowers as she learned them. He didn't care much at all, and it was way too troublesome to remember all of the meanings behind flowers. After all, flowers were flowers were flowers, or so he thought. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for the subject, his impressive memory assured that he retained the information Ino had given him.

From what he could remember, gardenias indicated secret love and joy and when they are given to someone, it meant that you love them.

Shikamaru was not a rash person in any form of the word, and just because the flower meant love, he didn't mean that he 'loved' Sakura. He never understood why new couples were so eager to throw that word around.

It had a double meaning, really. To the shopkeeper, he was buying his wife a flower that she could put in her hair that meant "I love you." It also secretly meant that he had feelings for her, but she didn't have to know that. For all intents and purposes, its meaning could be purely part of their act.

"I'll have one gardenia, please," Shikamaru said. "With the stem cut short if possible."

Sakura looked at Shikamaru, surprised. He didn't need to buy her a flower but he did so anyways.

The shopkeeper handed over a perfect little white flower in exchange for a few coins.

Without any more words, Sakura could feel him tucking the gardenia in her hair close to her ear. She was lost for words and, instead of beating the lazy genius for touching her, she just turned and looked at him.

His eyes were narrowed slightly and he bit his lip in concentration as he delicately and carefully worked the flower into her hair. He had this unexplainable look of loving concern in his eyes and Sakura felt herself blush a little. She'd never seen Shikamaru look at anyone like that before.

She got this warm feeling in the pit of her stomach, a tingle dancing up her spine and electrifying her. It was an intense feeling.

With the gardenia now tucked in her hair, Sakura gave Shikamaru a smile. "Thank you for the flower, Shikamaru."

She couldn't be mad at him for trying so hard to convince the town that they were a couple. He was doing a fantastic job, and anyone could look at him and think he was a husband showing his love for his wife. It was the little gestures that really made a difference.

The two walked hand-in-hand for some distance before Sakura broke the silence again.

"Ooh! Look, it's a cute little tea shop. Can we stop there?" Sakura asked, pointing to a small building and looking at Shikamaru hopefully.

He raised an eyebrow. "Sure we can. Are you hungry already?"

"No, but you haven't eaten anything today, have you? If I ate breakfast, then you need to as well."

Shikamaru sighed and gave in. It was true that he hadn't eaten anything yet, so it was nice of her to care.

The two walked in, a little bell on the door announcing their arrival. It was a cute little place on the inside, with just enough room for a few people to comfortably sit at tables and enjoy tea and pastries.

"Hello and welcome," an elderly woman greeted. "Take a seat anywhere and one of the girls will be over shortly to take your orders."

The woman looked kind and Sakura knew she had picked a good place.

"Let's sit over there," Sakura said, leading the lazy ninja to a table by the wall. The two sat across from one another.

"Hello you guys, is there anything I can get you?" A young, eager waitress asked as she approached the table. She seemed new to the job, because her act was way too peppy to have come from a veteran worker.

"I'll have some tea, please," Sakura said.

"I guess I'll just have tea as well," drawled Shikamaru. Sakura gave him a sharp glare before looking at the waitress again. "He hasn't had breakfast yet. What do you recommend?"

Shikamaru sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Troublesome woman... If I wanted something to eat right this second I would have asked for it. Stop meddling."

Sakura gave him a death glare. "Would you like to eat my fist?!" She cried, showing the rage that was usually reserved for Naruto and Sai.

The waitress stood there, a terrified expression on her face. "Why don't I just come back in a little bit?" She said, gingerly backing away. "I'll bring your tea."

"Nice going, Shikamaru, you scared the waitress," Sakura said a little more jokingly.

"_I_ scared her? You were the one who went batshit crazy just now."

Wrong choice of words.

Sakura's light expression fell and she looked angry for real this time.

"Sakura, wait, I didn't mean -"

"Just drop it."

There was a somewhat uncomfortable silence and Shikamaru knew it was his doing. He didn't mean for it to come out like that, it just did. Sakura was so touchy about anything that came out of his mouth.

As he studied her face he realized, much to his surprise, that he found her beautiful even in anger. He was falling even harder for her than before, if it was possible. They had had such a peaceful and nice morning together, and he felt like they had been making progress as far as her grudge went.

The gardenia still sat in her hair just above her left ear, perfect and white and pretty. Her cheeks were tinged a slight pink with anger and she was looking at the wall. Her emerald eyes were squinted and her lips were pouting ever so slightly. She looked beautiful and alive with emotion.

"Here's the tea," the waitress said, setting down two teacups and filling them. "Have you decided what you'll have to eat?"

"We'll have some dango to share, please," Shikamaru said, sneaking a smile at Sakura. She widened her eyes before frowning at him and looking away.

"Sounds good," the waitress said. "You'll love the dango here. Lady Tamiko makes the best dango in the entire land of waves!"

"Then we'd be honored to try them," Shikamaru said as the waitress walked away.

He turned back to face his angry partner and reached across the table, putting a hand on hers. "Relax, Sakura. Let's just enjoy ourselves, okay? Fighting is such a drag."

She quickly pulled her hand out from under Shikamaru's and gave him a dirty look.

"Come on..." Shikamaru sighed. "Please? I didn't mean what I said."

"Humph."

"Why do you have to be so sensitive about everything?" Shikamaru muttered, pulling his hand back into his lap.

Sakura glared, her face becoming red. "Maybe it's because you're such an insensitive prick!"

Shikamaru sighed and decided not to continue this petty little argument. He already felt like he was walking on eggshells around the pink-haired kunoichi, and he had to remember to watch his mouth around her as well.

"I-I just.. *sniffle*... Oh god..."

"Shh shh, I know, let it out."

The voices were coming from the table next to the leaf ninja, and though he was not normally one to listen to idle gossip, Shikamaru couldn't help but overhear the conversation.

"I'm just so worried... He should have been back by now." A tiny female voice said.

"Hun, I don't think he's coming back," the louder female voice replied.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow and listened discreetly. This actually sounded relevant. The two women talking were sitting at the table behind Sakura, in his field of view. He was careful not to stare or indicate that he was listening, instead vacantly looking into the corner.

"Why would you say such a thing? Of course he'll come back," the tearful voice said. It belonged to the short woman with a round face.

"Don't be naive, Ami," the louder voice said. She was the thinner of the two, and she sounded more down-to-Earth but not cruel.

Ami gave a pitiful whine and her friend quickly began to comfort her.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean to sound rude. I want the best for you, but with everything that happened..."

"Hiro was different though."

"Honey, all men are cheaters."

"No they're not! I'm telling you, he'll come back."

"But do you really believe that? I don't think you'd be so worried if you did."

"I'm just trying to be hopeful, Rui."

Shikamaru felt a sharp kick in the shins and gave Sakura an exasperated look. "What the hell?!"

She put a finger to her lips to shush him. Gesturing with her eyes towards the women at the other table, she mouthed 'are you hearing this?'

Shikamaru nodded and then looked into the corner again.

"Here are your dango!"

The waitress had returned with a plate of brightly-colored dango tastefully smothered in a honey-colored sauce.

"Thank you," Sakura said sweetly as the waitress set the plate down and walked away. She took a stick of dango and popped one into her mouth before listening in again.

Shikamaru followed suit, nibbling on his dango and staring vacantly.

"Ah damn... Why don't the police in this town do anything about the missing men until they turn up dead?! Shouldn't their focus be on finding them while they could still be _living_?!" said Rui, sounding livid.

Ami began to cry audibly and her friend got up from her seat to join her on her side of the table. "Come on, come on... Let's go, okay? Hiro will come back," Rui reassured, though she looked unsure. "He's not a dirty cheater like Shigeru. Let's just go."

With that, the two women got up from their seats and left, Rui's arm around the shoulders of a crying Ami.

Shikamaru slowly looked back at Sakura, his eyes wide with surprise.

Sakura's mouth was open, her empty dango stick hanging loosely between her thumb and index finger.

"What the hell was that?" She wondered aloud.

"I think those women know something about the case we're working on," Shikamaru said in disbelief.

Sakura frowned. "Idiot, it's more than that. It sounded like their husbands were killed by Anzu."

"That's what I meant," Shikamaru said. "This doesn't really help us much, but it does tell us that townspeople are becoming aware of the problem and that the local police force isn't doing much to help."

"That lady acted so matter-of-fact about men getting killed," Sakura said bitterly. "She's treating it like it's a normal occurrence."

"The problem is getting worse if the killings are an everyday occurrence," Shikamaru said. "We need to nip this in the bud before any more people fall victim."

Shikamaru bit into the last of his dango and set the empty stick down, chewing quickly. "This is so troublesome... we've spent enough time here already," he said, setting some money on the table. "You ready to head out?"

Sakura frowned at him. "What happened to taking it easy today, mister 'picture-perfect-husband?'"

"This just got more serious," he said. "People are dying. We can still take it easy, but it's time that we moved onto the next thing on our list."

Sakura grumbled and got up.

...

Sakura had been angry since they left the tea shop. It was blatantly obvious even though she hadn't said a word to Shikamaru. Her brow was firmly knit into a scowl and her cheeks were tinged with an angry red.

Shikamaru wasn't sure what to do or why she was still so mad. It couldn't have been what he said before, could it? That was a minor thing, really. It wouldn't make sense for her to still be so upset over his slip-of-the-tongue.

He didn't know what to say, lest he say the wrong thing and set her off even more, so he was silent instead. Sakura trailed behind him, distancing herself somewhat.

The two had almost made it back to the hotel and the beach, their next destination, when Shikamaru decided to say something. He had to know what was bugging her.

"Sakura, talk to me," he said. "What's bothering you?"

She scowled at him. "Men are pigs."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because they are."

"Is this about those two women back there?" Shikamaru asked.

"You idiot. Their husbands cheated on them and they weren't more upset?! If it was me in their position, I'd hunt my husband down and kick his ass if he ever cheated on me!"

By the time Sakura had finished, she was practically shouting. Shikamaru stopped walking and turned to her. "Shh, calm down okay?"

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, her face seething with rage. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down! You never tell a woman to calm down. How can I calm down when I'm surrounded by cheaters and liars?!"

"Sakura, not all men are like that. I wouldn't do that."

Her eyes widened. "You're lying! I hate it when people lie to my face. You told Anzu at the bar that you'd be willing to cheat!"

Shikamaru gestured for her to keep her voice lower. "That's just the character I'm playing, dammit. You don't actually believe I'd do that, do you? Is your opinion of me really that low?!"

Sakura said nothing, looking at him through hurt and angry eyes.

"I'm not the kind of guy who would do that, Sakura," Shikamaru said bitterly.

"Fuck you and your lies."

"Aren't you supposed to trust your husband?!" Shikamaru asked a little louder. "If you don't trust me, then what else is left?"

"How _can_ I trust you?" Sakura yelled back.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and looked at his partner as she continued to yell at him. It hurt that she so fully believed he was like the character he was playing. He wouldn't care so much if it was anyone else, but he cared about her and she was under the wrong impression.

It shouldn't mean so much to him. Since when has he ever put romance before anything else? Part of him wished that he didn't feel this way about her anymore. It was causing too much pain and difficulty.

She was still yelling at him.

"_God I wish I could shut her up... All that shouting is so troublesome_."

"You know what? I hate you!"

"_She needs to stop talking. She's getting herself all worked up and a crowd is forming_."

This public bickering was doing absolutely no good for the image of a loving couple that they were trying to create. He needed some convincing damage control.

With his mind made up, Shikamaru stepped forward, grabbed Sakura by the wrists and pulled her into a kiss.

She fell silent, her eyes wide with surprise but showing no indication of resistance. His face became warm and his head swam in the sudden rush of emotions. He was _kissing_ Sakura! It made his knees weak, his head heavy, and his face hot.

Shikamaru kept his lips firmly pressed to hers for a few more moments before pulling away, looking lazy as usual.

Sakura's mouth was open in surprise and she didn't seem to be capable of forming words.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for a response. "Well?"

"What the hell was_ that_?" Sakura asked finally, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. "I had to shut you up somehow."

Sakura frowned. "You had to _shut me up_?! You -"

Her angry shout was cut off by another, shorter kiss.

Shikamaru pulled away and looked at her seriously. "I'm going to keep doing this until you're calm, Sakura."

Sakura flushed harder.

"Now listen to me, okay? No more of this 'men are pigs' bullshit, okay?" He looked around and saw the crowd dissolving. Lowering his voice, he continued. "It's just my character who is into Anzu, not me. You know Tsunade told us to get closer to her and gain her trust. It's for the mission. The real me would never cheat on you. I promise you that."

Sakura looked at her feet, embarrassed. "I'm sorry I overreacted, Shikamaru. You know, I never really thought you'd be the cheating type anyways, it's just with everything you said... I... I guess I got caught up in the acting a little."

Shikamaru smiled softly at Sakura. "It's okay. Please remember that though. I'm not doing this to hurt you nor would I ever intentionally hurt you. It's just part of the mission."

Sakura looked into Shikamaru's narrow brown eyes. There was something genuine and sweet in his eyes, in his face, in his voice. He meant every word of what he said, and the realization made Sakura's stomach sink a little. He said the real Shikamaru would never cheat on her, but that made the image of them dating come to mind. To her horror, she maybe sort of didn't _hate_ the thought.

"Let's take you back to the hotel," Shikamaru said. "We don't have to go to the beach right now. It's been a long tough morning."

Sakura looked at him in concern. "I'm okay now. Please, we have to go to the beach. It's like you said before, the situation is more serious than ever and we need to gather evidence and make our characters known."

Shikamaru smiled at the pink-haired kunoichi. It sounded like the old reasonable Sakura was back to stay. "Let's go, then."

Sakura nodded and the two began walking again.

* * *

"_He kissed me_."

Sakura gently touched her fingers to her lips, still feeling the sensation of Shikamaru's lips on hers.

"_He actually kissed me_."

The tiniest ghost of a smile pulled the corners of her lips upward. She almost felt giddy. There was something about the way he did it - the way he pulled her in so suddenly, the way he held onto her wrists, the way that he looked at her with such a gentle determination, the feeling of his lips on hers - that had her replaying the moment over and over in her head.

She knew he only did it for the act they were putting on, but he had been talking to her as himself when he did it. To everyone around them he was the husband kissing his wife to calm her down, but to her he was Shikamaru.

Shikamaru had kissed her.

She should have been bothered by the fact that he kissed her so boldly, and not once but twice! But she wasn't bothered at all, and that was what bothered her.

Did she _like_ Shikamaru?!

She sat up and stared at her bare feet. The two leaf ninja were on the beach in the same spot as the day before. She had taken off the green sundress, leaving just her red swimsuit. Shikamaru was reclined next to her in the shade of their beach umbrella, his sunglasses on. They had been laying here and relaxing for a little while and so far there was no sign of Anzu.

Sure, they weren't actually looking for her today, but if they were going to see her anywhere it would be here.

Sakura haphazardly glanced over her shoulder and saw the very person she had been wondering if they'd see. It was almost fishy and too good to be true.

She casually nudged Shikamaru, prompting him to sit up and remove his sunglasses.

"Don't look now, but Anzu is over there," Sakura said out of the side of her mouth. "I think she's heading this way."

Shikamaru nodded. "Alright, follow my lead okay?"

"Okay."

He began to rustle through his backpack and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen.

"Turn onto your stomach," Shikamaru said at a slightly louder-than-normal speaking volume. "I don't want your beautiful skin to get sunburned."

Sakura turned over and Shikamaru squeezed a generous amount of sunscreen into the palm of his hand.

The spiky-haired ninja rubbed his palms together and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, smearing the sunscreen all over her back to distribute it.

All of a sudden she could feel the heavy weight of his hands on her shoulders as he leaned in, his hot breath on the shell of her ear. "I'm going to massage in the sunscreen now. When Anzu gets over here, I'm going to turn it up a notch so play along."

Sakura's heart had begun to beat so fast that she worried that Shikamaru could feel it. Actually, there was no way he couldn't feel it while his hands were on her.

Her pulse had quickened as soon as Shikamaru had leaned in and whispered in her ear. It was a simple enough motion and there wasn't anything inherently sexual about a teammate sharing tactical information, but goodness did he have to do it _that_ way?!

Her stomach began doing nervous flip flops, joining in with her rapid heartbeat. His touch was gentle as he rubbed on the sunscreen, his fingertips lightly tracing circles onto her shoulders.

"She's coming," Shikamaru whispered, barely audible. He began to increase the pressure of his fingers, turning this from sunscreen application into a back massage.

He placed his thumbs underneath the side ridges of her shoulder blades and his other fingers on the muscles on the tops of the shoulders. Applying a generous but comfortable amount of pressure, he began to trace circles in her skin.

His hands felt incredible, slowly undoing the knots in her muscles while managing to keep up that deep-reaching but gentle pressure. His touch made her skin tingle in the best way possible and she might even consider admitting how much she enjoyed this.

"Mm..." Sakura moaned softly as his hands moved down her back. His fingers dipped dangerously close to the straps of her bikini and yet she was too far gone to yell at him. There was something about the way he held her sides that made her feel safe, despite being at her most vulnerable.

He held her at her sides, his thumbs rubbing circles into the muscles along her spine and outward to her sides.

"I thought I recognized you," a husky female voice said. Sakura craned her neck and saw a tall slender figure in a dark purple bikini. She couldn't see much because the sun was behind the person in question, but the voice and the cascading brown hair were giveaways.

Anzu.

Sakura attempted a friendly smile but Shikamaru was still massaging the sunscreen into her back. The smile ended up looking more mellow and serene than anything. She wasn't sure where Shikamaru was going with this, but she trusted his plan.

"Fancy seeing you here," Shikamaru flirted, pressing down particularly hard on a sensitive muscle.

"Oh…" Sakura moaned breathily, hoping that this was the response Shikamaru wanted to elicit. He _did_ say to play along.

She immediately got her response as he repeated the motion. "Oh _Shikamaru_..." She moaned again.

Shikamaru maintained eye contact with Anzu while he massaged the sunscreen into his partner's back and shoulders. Every push and press elicited a warm and convincing response from the pink-haired kunoichi. She really sounded like she was getting turned on by the massage, which in turn was arousing him.

Anzu smirked suggestively, looking from Shikamaru's hands to his stomach, chest, and face. The two made eye contact.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at her, moving his hands down Sakura's sides more. He was rubbing her slender waist tenderly and she gave a low hum of contentment.

Anzu narrowed her intimidating golden eyes and licked her lips suggestively. "Quite good with the hands, I see."

Sakura threw in another moan for good measure.

"Does that answer your question?" Shikamaru said, smirking.

"My, you are just quite the charming... _couple_," she said. "I don't know why I ran into you guys again, but I feel like it's fated."

If Sakura could get away with rolling her eyes, she would do it. This woman's true intentions were nauseatingly obvious. She had to wonder why any intelligent male would fall into her trap, if this really _was_ the Anzu they were looking for, anyways.

"Must be," Shikamaru said somewhat dryly, his sarcasm almost imperceptible. "I mean, what are the odds?"

"I like you guys," Anzu said, putting a hand on her hip and tossing her hair over her shoulders. "I'm not sure what it is but there's something about you... I'd like to get to know you guys more."

Sakura and Shikamaru shared an uneasy glance.

Anzu quickly cleared her throat. "I-I mean, it must sound so strange coming from someone you've never met before, but that's how friends are made, right?"

Shikamaru gave a wink. "Right."

He pressed hard on a portion of Sakura's lower back, eliciting a low moan from the pinkette. The spiky-haired shinobi kept Anzu's eye contact while Sakura moaned, hoping that these actions would come across as a promise of things to come, or something like that.

She seemed to get the point, narrowing her eyes and smirking knowingly.

"Call me crazy, but I think we should take up this - _fine_ \- woman's offer and get to know her better, don't you think hon'?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing Sakura's sides gently and affectionately.

"New friends are always welcome," she replied sweetly, craning her neck and smiling up at the brunette.

"It's settled, then," Anzu said in amusement. "Let's get dinner tonight so we can all get to know each other better. Let's say... eight o'clock at The Katana?"

"We'll meet you there," Shikamaru said.

"Can't wait," Anzu said with an obvious wink towards the male half of the couple.

As soon as she was out of sight, Shikamaru patted Sakura's shoulder gently and moved back to her side. "The coast is clear," he reported. "God, subtlety is not in her nature."

Sakura rolled onto her back and sighed. "She was eating you right up. I don't know how much more of that obvious flirting I can take. I mean, she was hitting on a supposedly married man right in front of his wife."

"Well, we're going to dinner with her tonight, so be prepared for a lot more of that," Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And by the way, this seems way too easy. She's coming right to us and it seems too good to be true. She can't be our target, can she? Although I feel that no real person would invite a strange couple to dinner without at least getting to know them a little. It's not normal. It makes me suspicious."

"I don't know..." Sakura said. "I mean, yeah she's latching onto you pretty strongly, but isn't that what we expected would happen? The woman we're looking for isn't opposed to stealing married men; just think about what we heard in the tea shop earlier. You're a reasonably good-looking guy, so there's no reason to doubt that she'd go for you, given the chance. Plus you were sending her all the right signals, so she thinks this is going to be an easy snag."

"You're right," Shikamaru admitted. "Anything that makes the mission go smoother and easier is welcome, but I guess it just seems strange to me, that's all. I'm used to some difficulties along the way with a complicated mission like this. It can't really be _this_ easy, can it?"

"We can't say this is easy yet," Sakura warned. "There's bound to be something that gets in our way. But let's not dwell on that."

Shikamaru smiled. "You're right. By the way, that was some really good acting back there. You had me convinced."

Sakura felt her face flush slightly, knowing that it wasn't just the acting. She had gotten into the massage and those noises she made weren't exactly forced, but Shikamaru didn't have to know that.

"Thanks, you too," she said with a grin. "Using the sunscreen to indirectly flirt with her was genius! You really had her going. She wants you bad and you were subtle enough to really make it seem like you were secretly interested."

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to flush. It wasn't exactly a chore to apply sunscreen to the pink-haired kunoichi. This had been a very welcome excuse to get up close and intimate with Sakura without pushing their boundaries and he liked it. He liked it a lot. The sounds coming out of her mouth had caused his head to spin, his knees to go weak, and his swim shorts to tighten. He decided that _he_ wanted to be the one causing her to make those sounds, not his character.

"So, should we lay here a little longer, or should we head back?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru adjusted his sunglasses, his arm behind his head. "We can stay here if you'd like. There's no rush. If you're ready to go back then we can go back."

Sakura smiled a little. Her partner looked extremely comfortable laying like that. She knew that if it were up to him he would stay out here and nap, but he was putting her desires before his own.

Little things like this made her feel welcome and relaxed around Shikamaru, as they always had. They had been friends for some time and she had always enjoyed hanging out with him and Choji and the others. It was the bikini contest, and the incredibly insensitive judges, that made her mad at her friend.

Sakura frowned a little, not in anger but in embarrassment. Now that they were this far past it, the whole contest thing seemed silly. She was going to give Naruto a good beating when they got back to the village because she felt that he had a hand in the ignorant comments, but in hindsight her anger almost seemed like an overreaction. She felt insulted and victimized before, but it was over and done with now. It's not like they humiliated her on stage; only the judges knew the comments and scores.

She had yelled at Tsunade during the mission briefing and received a scolding for behavior, and rightfully so. That was embarrassing and she felt ashamed. She'd face the Hokage again sooner than later, but she'd make sure to apologize for how rude she was.

But that would come later. For now, she needed to focus on the mission at hand. They were in the process of uncovering the information necessary to move on, and things were looking up now that her attitude had changed for the better. Funny how things worked like that.

She turned onto her stomach and laid back down, figuring that it would be best if she relaxed this way. After all, she _was_ wearing sunscreen.

* * *

**That's it for this incredibly long chapter! I'm so sorry about how long it was, it's just that finding a good place to break it up was hard. Anyways, keep the reviews coming! There's really no better feeling than receiving a review :) **

**Stay tuned for the next update! -Gallade**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I'm alive :) Sorry it's been so long since I last updated this fic :( Life got in the way and I was hesitant to post a new chapter until I figured out if I wanted to add a little something extra to the plot or not. I still haven't decided yet. Without further ado, here's their dinner with Anzu!**

* * *

"It's 7:45," Shikamaru warned lightly. He paced around the hotel room, nervously tugging at his collar. He hadn't worn this shirt in quite some time, and the slight tightness made it apparent that he had grown since the last time he wore. He was dressed in a white button-down dress shirt and black dress pants, a forest-green tie around his neck. He and Sakura had asked around about the restaurant Anzu suggested earlier, and (not surprisingly) it was a rather high-class place. Dress clothes were a must, and Shikamaru was very thankful that he packed for such an occasion. Now he was just waiting for Sakura to get dressed and then they could head out.

"Sakura, come o-"

"I'm all done," her voice called, the bathroom door opening. "Will you relax a little? Sheesh"

Shikamaru sighed and turned around. "I'm sorry; I guess I'm just -"

His eyes widened at the sight of the pink-haired kunoichi. He stopped mid-sentence, rendered speechless by her appearance.

She was wearing a simple black sleeveless dress with a v-shaped neckline. It was neither tight nor loose, instead skimming over the slight curves of her slim figure and ending mid-thigh.

"You look great," he said breathlessly, after what seemed (to him) to be an unnaturally long pause.

"I'm not overdressed, am I?" she asked worriedly.

Shikamaru chuckled and adjusted his tie. "Well, if you're overdressed then so am I," he responded. "You look fantastic."

Sakura smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. You clean up well, Shikamaru."

"Gee, thanks."

"I meant it in a good way!" Sakura urged, grabbing her civilian purse and crouching down to put on her pair of heels. "You look good in a tie."

Shikamaru sat down on the edge of the bed and began to put on his dress shoes. "Let's go over the plans for dinner again."

"Not again… Shikamaru, I already know the plan."

"I know, I know," he drawled. "But it can't hurt to go over it again one last time before we leave. Caution is key because we could be going to dinner with the enemy. Tonight is about establishing ourselves as Anzu's friends. This could be pivotal to the mission's success because tonight decides whether or not we can gain her trust and get close enough to gain the evidence we need. Once we know for sure that she's the one we're looking for, we can kill her from the inside, so-to-speak."

"And tonight you're going to make sure she thinks you're interested in her," Sakura said. "That way we can make sure you keep her interest. If she targets you next then we can have a sure fire way of finding out if she is the one behind the murders."

"That's the plan," Shikamaru nodded solemnly. "I don't like where it could take me, but it's the best we've got."

"We'll make it work," Sakura assured him. "Now let's go."

...

"Hi, welcome to The Katana. Do you have a reservation?" The blonde-haired restaurant hostess asked the pair as they entered the fancy establishment.

Shikamaru and Sakura looked at each other nervously, hoping that Anzu had made a reservation. Otherwise they would be out of luck.

"We're meeting someone here," Sakura said, shifting her weight uneasily.

The hostess nodded in understanding. "Do you know their name? They might be here already. You can take a glance out into the dining room if you want."

Shikamaru nodded. "Thanks."

Sakura held onto his arm and stayed close to his side as they walked over past the waiting area and into the dining room.

It was very fancy and upscale in here, the two ninja realized. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, throwing light over the tables and walls. White tablecloths covered every circular table, a few small candles giving each table its own light.

Sure enough, Anzu was sitting in one of the far tables near the wall. She was dressed in yet another red form-fitting dress, her long wavy brown hair cascading over her shoulders.

"You ready for this?" Sakura asked in a low voice, turning and looking at Shikamaru.

Gosh she was so beautiful up close, Shikamaru observed. She was still holding onto his arm (well, more like hugging it) for support as she stood in her high heels. Her face was only inches away from his and a little bit lower. He had to look down at the shorter ninja, whose heels only aided her height slightly. Her brows were furrowed in gentle concern, her eyes were focused on his, shining in determination and worry like an emerald fire.

"I'll be fine," he assured her softly, placing a hand on her hand with his free hand. "After all, I've got you."

She turned to face forward, her face slightly tinged with pink, though Shikamaru wasn't sure if it was a blush or just the low light of the restaurant.

The two started to walk over, the looks on their faces making it seem as though they had just realized Anzu was here and that they were excited to see her.

"I'm glad you two could make it," Anzu said as the two approached the table, a wide grin on her face. "I was beginning to worry."

"We wouldn't miss coming to dinner with _you_," Shikamaru said suggestively. He was cringing on the inside. After all, this was totally unrealistic. Complete strangers didn't just go to dinner to become friends. This was so weird and they were trying to play it off as a normal everyday occurrence. If their suspicions were right, both sides had an ulterior motive, so realism was a secondary concern.

"Sit, sit," Anzu said, gesturing at the empty chairs opposite of her. Shikamaru pulled out a chair for Sakura and held it as she sat down. She graciously looked up at him and smiled.

_He's such a gentleman! I know it's all acting in front of Anzu, but my god... he'll do all of this for his wife without being prompted. _

_But no, I'm _not_ enjoying this._

Shikamaru sat down in the chair next to Sakura and folded his hands in his lap. "This is a really fancy place," he mused, looking around the restaurant and feigning surprise. "Who knew there would be a place like this in such a small town?"

Anzu narrowed her catlike eyes and smiled. "You'd be surprised by how many rich and high-class couples vacation here. The town had to cater to such high demands, I suppose."

Sakura put her hand over Shikamaru's and held on. "So have you lived here long, then?" She asked.

Anzu widened her eyes almost imperceptibly, and for only a split second before shrugging nonchalantly.

Sakura squeezed Shikamaru's hand, hoping that he caught her reaction too. _Anzu wasn't prepared to answer that question. _

The person they were looking for wouldn't have been in town for too long. The killer had wiped out the next town over before recently moving to Tsumi.

"I've been here a while," Anzu said ambiguously. "Long enough to watch the vacationers come and go and come and go."

"Must be nice," Shikamaru said. "I mean, people come and go but you're lucky enough to live here all the time."

"It _is_ nice," Anzu said, casually looking through her menu. "It's kind of difficult having friends, though. Most of the people in this town are only here for a short amount of time so no one is really interested in investing time into a temporary friendship."

"So what makes _us_ different?" Sakura asked with a giggle. "We're vacationers too."

"Hello," a man said, walking over to their table. "My name is Daisuke and I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

The three put in their orders and waited until the waiter was gone before talking once again.

"What were we talking about?" Anzu asked.

"We were wondering why you picked us," Shikamaru reminded her.

Anzu nodded and smiled. "Oh right! Well I'm not really sure. It's like I told you, I was just drawn to you guys," she said.

Sakura scoffed inwardly. _Yeah, okay, more like you wanted to steal Shikamaru from me. Well, not from me but... well... yeah, my character. Not actually me._

She buried her face in her menu to avoid making faces.

"So, uh," Shikamaru began. "I'm a little surprised that you're here alone. Weren't you with someone the other day? A boyfriend or something?"

Anzu looked shocked for a second. "Oh, no... No, he's not my boyfriend. Just a friend. An acquaintance, really."

Sakura pretended to study her menu while Anzu and Shikamaru conversed, immediately knowing where Shikamaru was going with this. He wanted to know this man's whereabouts and whether or not he was a soon-to-be victim.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow. "Guess you just can't be tied down, can ya?" He said suggestively.

Sakura continued to study the menu, giving no indication that she was aware of what they were talking about. She felt sharp golden eyes focused on her, scrutinizing her, gauging whether or not she was hearing this. She didn't look up from the menu once.

Anzu must have interpreted this as a signal to go ahead with it, giving Shikamaru a flirty look. "I guess you could say that," she said.

Shikamaru did his best to give her a smirk and a wink.

Daisuke returned just as Shikamaru felt himself floundering. He counted it as a blessing.

"Is everyone all set to order?" He asked, pulling a small notepad out of his apron.

Sakura set down her menu and smiled sweetly. "I'm all ready."

"So am I."

"Agreed."

Daisuke nodded and gave one of those cheery smiles that all waiters and waitresses give in hopes that they will receive a good tip. His pen was at the ready, his ears pricked.

The three gave their orders and Daisuke left once again. Sakura gave Shikamaru's hand a gentle warning squeeze before opening her mouth to speak. "I'm going to head to the restroom, alright?"

Shikamaru squeezed her hand in return, knowing that in her absence they were free to flirt and talk about whatever. She was giving him this opportunity and he would use it to find out as much as he could.

"Alright, sweetheart," he said, his lips lightly brushing her cheek as she stood up and left.

Anzu watched Sakura until she disappeared from sight, her eyes narrowed slightly. She looked at Shikamaru and smirked.

"So, how long have you two been together?" She asked.

Shikamaru leaned forward, smiling gently. "We've been married for nearly two years now. We dated for five before I proposed."

Anzu feigned shock, putting a hand over her widened mouth. "But you two seem so young! How is it that you've been together for so long?"

"We're in our mid-twenties. We've known each other our whole lives, and deep down a part of me always knew she was the one," he said. None of that was inherently a lie. She recently turned 25 in March and he would be turning 25 in September. They had known each other for their whole lives and he was falling for her harder and harder with each day.

A corner of Anzu's mouth twitched. "It must be so nice to find the love of your life this early on," she said, gesturing here and there with her hand. "But..."

"But what?" Shikamaru ventured.

Anzu looked into his eyes, an action that made him very uncomfortable. He did his best not to outwardly show his discomfort and hoped that Sakura timed her arrival well. He needed time to sell himself to this woman without looking too desperate or conspicuous. Unless of course she would _like_ him to appear desperate. He needed to play it by ear and see what kind of bait she would take.

Anzu looked coy, smirking and playing with a strand of hair. Shikamaru leaned over the table. "Come on..." he pried playfully.

Anzu twirled the strand of hair around her finger and faked surrender. "Well I just wondered... I mean, you two have been together for so long... doesn't it ever get a little stale?"

Shikamaru widened his eyes in mock surprise. "_Stale_?"

"In the bedroom or otherwise," Anzu said matter-of-factly. "I mean, don't you ever want to be with another woman?"

"I'm shocked that you'd even suggest that," he said with a frown.

Anzu looked only slightly embarrassed. "I hope I haven't overstepped any boundaries. I just mean... you'll never be with another woman so long as you're still with her. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

Shikamaru hesitated and Anzu took that as a yes. She narrowed her eyes and smirked knowingly. "It _does_, doesn't it?" She accused.

"I don't think we should be-"

"Oh give it up; your wife isn't here right now. You don't have to lie to me," she said, leaning across the table and touching his arm. Shikamaru gulped and looked at her. She wasn't taking no for an answer, which meant that she probably liked the challenge he was giving her. He'd seen this before in other women. She was pushy and liked the thrill of the chase.

God damn, women were so troublesome. They never knew when to back off and it irritated Shikamaru to no end. In this case it worked in favor of the mission, but_ jeez_...

Shikamaru put on his most convincing face of shyness, hoping that she'd interpret his silence as confirmation. She'd planted a seed of doubt in his mind, or so she thought.

"I can help you, you know," she said in a low voice. "I have a feeling you're not telling me your true answer. You want this, you just don't want to admit it."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak and saw Sakura approaching the table again. "Oh look, Sakura is back," Shikamaru announced, giving Anzu a pointed look.

She looked at him sourly, her eyes shooting daggers. She wanted him to keep their conversation matter a secret from Sakura, he was sure of it.

"Sorry about that," Sakura said, sitting down in her seat once again. Looking between the two at the table, she smiled. "Did I miss anything?"

Anzu's glare sharpened, warning the lazy shinobi not to tell her anything.

"Nope, nothing," Shikamaru said, holding Sakura's hand and stealing a wary glance at Anzu. The brunette smiled a smug little grin, her confidence and relief apparent. She thought she had a hold on him now.

He squeezed Sakura's hand. _We did it. We're in._

Daisuke walked over to the table, balancing a large tray in his hand and smiling. "Alright folks, who ordered the mackerel with seaweed?"

...

"We did it," Shikamaru said, loosening his tie and hanging it in the hotel closet.

Sakura was sitting on the bed, taking off her heels. "What happened while I was gone? Did I buy you enough time?" She turned around and looked at her companion, her eyes shining inquisitively.

Shikamaru kicked off his shoes and sat down on the bed next to Sakura. He was grinning excitedly. "Your timing was perfect," he said. "As soon as you left she started closing in on me. She asked how long we've been together-"

"How long would that be?" Sakura interrupted. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"You know, just in case she asks me," Sakura said. "I wanna have the story straight."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding.

"We dated for five years and we've been married for almost two."

Sakura felt herself smile a little. "You sure waited a while to propose, didn't you?" She said with a chuckle.

"Guess I wanted to take things slow," he responded. "Make sure we're happy and that it's meant to be."

Sakura blushed a little and looked down at her hands folded neatly in her lap. "Anyways, what were you going to say before I interrupted you?"

"She asked if things ever get stale because we've been together for so long and we're young," he said.

"And you said...?"

"I told her things are wonderful and that we still love each other very much. I made sure to look _un_sure, though, so she'd pry further."

"Did she take the bait?"

Shikamaru smirked. "Hook line and sinker. She thinks that I'm not averse to looking elsewhere. She offered to 'help me' with this problem."

Sakura gasped and held her hands over her mouth, her eyes sparkling delightedly. "Shikamaru, this is huge!" She cried.

"You came back after she said that, and when I didn't say anything to you about her offer she looked so smug," Shikamaru reported. "She thinks she has me eating out of the palm of her hand now."

"This is great!" Sakura cried, grabbing a hold of Shikamaru's hands. "We're in! She has her sights on you and now we can really start gathering evidence against her! Once we have a true reason to kill her, we're all set here!"

Shikamaru glanced at their hands - she was still holding his hands in hers - and nodded in agreement. "Everything is falling into place," he said, still awestruck. "I'm really surprised that we haven't run into trouble yet. It's only going to get more troublesome from here on out, but we've established a strong foundation to carry out the rest of the mission."

He still looked surprised and Sakura easily noticed. "You okay?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his distant, distracted eyes.

He widened his eyes and blinked a few times before rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said. "Still in shock that she'd reveal herself like this. She's supposed to be some threatening missing-nin and yet she's letting her guard down so easily. Either she's losing it or she's had so much past success that she's getting lenient."

"Or she really doesn't suspect that we're a threat. She thinks we're plain old townspeople and that you're falling victim to her trap. It's the convincing acting," Sakura reasoned.

Shikamaru nodded slowly. "I'm giving her the illusion that she has this irresistible charm, that no man is immune," he said. "It seems easy to her so she's letting her guard down."

"We can't let our guard down either," Sakura chided. "Just because this seems like it's easy doesn't mean that we should ease up. In fact, we have to be more diligent than ever."

"I know, I know," Shikamaru sighed, getting up from the bed and rummaging through his backpack. "Anything that makes this mission less troublesome is welcome, though."

"True," Sakura said. "Just don't let all of this success go to your hea-"

She was cut off by a huge yawn.

Shikamaru pulled a pair of shorts and a fishnet undershirt out of his bag and smirked at the pink-haired kunoichi. "Tired?"

She finished her yawn with the tiniest of squeaks and looked at him through exhausted eyes. "It must be the sea air or something," she said. "I've never been so tired at the end of a day on other - more physically demanding - missions."

Shikamaru smiled gently. "Let's get to bed, then, shall we? I'm going to go change out of these dress clothes, so you get comfy."

...

Shikamaru turned the knob slowly, the deliberate pause intended to alert Sakura that he was coming out now. When he didn't hear her protest or tell him that she wasn't finished changing, he deemed it safe to emerge.

Sakura was under the covers, curled up and silently sleeping away. Shikamaru felt a familiar warmth bubble in his chest at the sight. She looked so precious when she slept like that, with one arm under the pillow and her legs pulled in close. He quietly walked over to the bedside lamp and turned it off before slowly making his way over to the makeshift bed he slept in. The pillows and blankets from last night were still there and ready for him. With a soft groan, he reclined onto the floor.

His spine popped in a few places as he laid down, the exhaustion slowly taking over. It must have been the sea breeze or something, he concluded. It had this way of tiring everyone out.

Yet he was still troubled by tonight's events, or rather, the implications of said events. It was exhilarating that their plan was going accordingly, but he still had his resignations.

This wasn't exactly the route he wanted this to go down. He suspected from the very beginning that he might have to sleep with Anzu, and now those suspicions were all but confirmed. She implied that she wanted to nab him, and he didn't outwardly reject the idea.

He had to remind himself that it was for the mission. He had to follow Lady Tsunade's orders and, as much as he hated it, this was their best plan right now. This could be dangerous, but he had no choice but to go along with it.

Anzu had her sights set on him and he made sure he was in line to become her next victim, or so she thought, anyways. She could very well have the intention of killing him, but he wasn't about to let himself fall victim so easily. He was willingly walking into her trap with every intention of causing her death while avoiding his own.

He furrowed his brow, his lazy chocolate-brown eyes staring into the darkness of the room. Anzu must be smart enough to think this through, though. Now that she revealed her identity to them she must be on her toes. If she _is_ indeed the one they're looking for, then she's done this countless times with others and she managed to elude capture all the while. She's making sure they let their guard down around her.

This was just as dangerous of an affair for her as it was for them. If Shikamaru suddenly ended up dying and the crime had any tie to her whatsoever, Sakura would have all the information she needed to get Anzu in big trouble.

He widened his eyes and felt his heart clench uncomfortably at this realization. If Sakura was able to provide evidence against Anzu in the event of his death, then... no. NO.

Anzu might try to kill Sakura too.

He felt nauseous. This couldn't be.

How could he be so stupid as to drag Sakura into this too?! It was one thing if he risked his own life, but now he was risking hers too.

He glanced over at the bed and saw her sleeping there, the low light streaming in from the balcony making her features just barely visible. He bit his lip nervously, wondering whether or not he should tell Sakura about this possibility. She had a right to know.

But maybe not. If she heard this possibility, she might get spooked and charge right in to... no. She wouldn't do that. She might get nervous and have second thoughts about the whole plan, but she wouldn't be so reckless. Sakura wasn't one to get so nervous about her own life, and she was certainly smart enough to realize that this is a possibility.

Shikamaru sighed, feeling conflicted. He was more uneasy than ever now that he suspected Sakura's life could be on the line too, but he found relief in the fact that his partner was one of the most intelligent shinobi he'd ever met. She may have already thought about the implications of their plan.

He felt his eyelids droop, suddenly heavy with exhaustion. There was no use worrying about it now. He would address that concern later, as necessary.

...

He was laying on his back in the rolling grassy hills, one hand behind his head and the other gently holding the hand of his companion. They clouds were plentiful and fluffy today, the ground beneath them cool and slightly damp.

This was paradise.

"That one looks like an octopus," Sakura giggled.

"That one?" Shikamaru asked, pointing.

"No, silly, _that _one," Sakura said with another giggle. She grabbed a hold of his wrist and pointed it at the cloud in question.

The touch of her hand on his wrist sent chills down his spine and made his stomach do flips.

"You're right, it does," Shikamaru said, closing his eyes and smiling contentedly.

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"... I love you."

Shikamaru's eyes shot wide open and suddenly he was in the dark hotel room again.

_God damn, can't I go just _one night_ without dreaming about her while we share a room? _

He stole a glance at her and heard the bed creak. Sitting up, he rubbed his tired eyes. The curtain leading to the sliding glass balcony doors was slightly ajar, allowing the dim light from outside to creep in.

Sakura's face was contorted into a look of distress, her eyes closed and her brows furrowed. The disheveled blankets were clear signs that she had been tossing and turning.

While Shikamaru had good dreams, the object of his dreams had been experiencing nightmares.

She looked so worried, so troubled, so ill-at-ease. Enough to make "couldn't-be-bothered-to-care" Shikamaru feel concerned. Not that his feelings for her weren't another source of motivation, mind you.

He formed the appropriate hand sign and his shadow elongated. The thin tendrils of shadow crept up the side of her bed and onto her body. Tenderly, the shadows began to stroke her face, her cheek. It tucked the loose and messy strands of hair behind her ear.

Shikamaru watched as her face trannsitioned from fright and anxiety to calm and serene. Every loving stroke of her cheek, every tender pet of her hair left her looking more relaxed. It made Shikamaru's heart ache with both sadness and desire. Whatever she was dreaming about before was enough for her to appear uneasy in the waking world, and it hurt him to see her like that.

He also wanted to be the one stroking her cheek lovingly, whispering in her ear that it will all be okay, and gently kissing her forehead goodnight. It hurt him so much to think that it would never happen, but he had to be honest with himself. There were plenty of other men who would earn a place in her heart before she'd even consider him. The beginning of this mission had been an absolute train wreck. She'd mellowed out since then, but her behavior had been a very clear indicator that nothing would happen between then if she could help it.

This was the only chance he'd get to do these loving things for her, and after this was all over with they'd go back to being comrades. It made his heart feel like it was being crushed, but he was a rational man and he unhappily accepted it.

He'd had his fair share of crushes, yes, and there were plenty of flings and encounters to speak of, and yet he'd never felt this way about an unrequited attraction. He had never bothered to feel this way about anyone who he knew wouldn't return his affections because, well, it was troublesome. Why waste time and effort pursuing something with no visible end point?

Yet with Sakura he found himself wanting her more and more, falling harder every day despite the difficulties that faced him. There was no way she would return his affections. He wanted to stop caring so much, he wanted to be his nonchalant self about this too, but he couldn't push her out of his heart. He could only continue to hurt himself and it seemed like his only option.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief in her sleep, and Shikamaru looked up at her once again. She had fallen into a deeper, more relaxed sleep, and her face showed blissful contentment.

Shikamaru couldn't help but smile at the sight. His shadows retreated, his eyes fixated on the pink-haired kunoichi before him as her side gently rose and fell with each breath.

He had no idea why Tsunade had chosen her to be the average-looking girl on this mission. She stood out among others, a radiant and exotic beauty with pink hair and green eyes and a fiery temper.

A strong will and determination.

A smile like no other.

A sharp intellect.

He had always thought he preferred his women to be not too pretty and not too ugly, but Sakura was in an entirely different league of beauty and he loved it.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes once again and waited for sleep to come.

...

The tree branch creaked slightly as a weight was added to it. In addition to her catlike eyes, Anzu had all the grace of a cat slinking around silently. It only took a skillful leap into the trees near hotel Sea Foam for her to perch on the tree branch.

From here, she had a good view of their balcony and part of the room. Someone had left the curtain open a little, and she could see Sakura inside, sleeping on the bed.

That delicious man with the ponytail wasn't in bed with her, it seemed. Anzu narrowed her eyes and leapt to the balcony to get a closer look. She perched herself on the balcony ledge, making sure to stay out of sight in case one of them woke up and looked outside.

She gasped silently, seeing Shikamaru sleeping on the floor beside the bed. She wasn't sure what she should make of this discovery, but she had her suspicions.

They could be just an unassuming married couple that had a fight and decided to sleep separately. That could make her job a whole lot easier, but she kind of liked a challenge.

They could also be pretending to be married, but for what reason she did not know. Unless...

They might be enemy ninja. She wasn't sure why they would be here and put on the whole marriage act unless they were trying to blend in. If those two were shinobi, then she could be in huge danger.

_Then again, they really did seem like a married couple. If they show any sign of being shinobi though, I'll kill them both. Shikamaru is going to die either way, but pinky may also fall victim if she becomes a liability_.

* * *

**Things are getting suspenseful! What do you guys think? Review if you can :) Stay tuned for more - I promise I'll try not to take 400 years to update again.**

**-Gallade**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm so sorry about that :( school and things got in the way and I was still deciding whether or not I wanted to add a two-chapter subplot before this already-written chapter was released. I outlined my ideas for the new chapters but one outline must have gotten deleted and I feel really crushed. I'm also losing followers because it's been so long, so I guess I'll just stick with the original plot. **

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, but it's leading up to some huge stuff!**

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes just a crack, the sunlight streaming in from behind the thin linen curtains. She closed her eyes and smiled, a hum of contentment escaping her lips. Even after a week of being here, the comfort of this bed had still not lost its charm. She loved waking up to a new day in Tsumi, with Shikamaru by her side.

He had gotten her breakfast in bed every morning this week, and each time it was something delicious and different. He never seemed to tire of putting on his flawless act, even though he would always complain that it was a drag. His actions didn't match his words, and Sakura hypothesized that he secretly liked doing these things for her.

She turned over lazily to see what Shikamaru had brought her today.

"Good morning, Sakura," Shikamaru said sweetly. "Did you sleep well?"

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and blinked a few times. Shikamaru was sitting at the desk, reading a newspaper. This was usually the time he took his showers, so his presence surprised her.

"I slept great, thank you," Sakura said warily. "How about you? Aren't you going to take a shower?"

Shikamaru chuckled and gestured towards a plate in front of him. Chocolate covered strawberries, a blueberry muffin, and a glass of orange juice. It seemed that Shikamaru had a fruit theme going today. "Go ahead and eat."

Sakura nodded and picked up a strawberry. They had been cored, the stems removed. She popped it into her mouth and motioned for him to go on.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I slept well, thank you, and I already took a shower. I thought you'd want to know what's in the paper today."

Sakura widened her eyes and quickly chewed the strawberry. "What is it?"

Shikamaru slid the paper over to her side of the desk, a solemn look on his face.

Sakura gasped.

"_Hiro Namakura found dead outside home_."

Below the headline was a picture of the man. There was no mistaking it; they'd seen him before.

"That's the man that Anzu was with at the beach and the bar!" Sakura cried, looking at Shikamaru with shock.

"And don't forget the woman in the tea shop," Shikamaru added. "She referred to her missing husband as 'Hiro.'"

"This is it," Sakura said, somewhat shocked. "This is what we needed."

"It's pretty obvious who's behind the murders," Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is the last piece of evidence we needed. Now we can go ahead and kill Anzu. She's the one we've been looking for."

Sakura popped another strawberry into her mouth. "We haff to find her and make sure she picksh you nexsht," she said with her mouth full.

They had had a nice, relaxing week with relatively few Anzu encounters. Most of their time had been spent going on lunch dates, seeing the local sights, and sunbathing on the beach. In fact, they hadn't seen Anzu at all in the last few days. She must have been busy doing whatever she was doing with this man.

"This is so dangerous," Shikamaru said. "I know we already knew that our target is killing men, but seeing it in the paper just makes it that much more realistic. I'm... just a bit nervous, I guess."

"Nervous? What for?" Sakura asked, sipping her orange juice. "You know you won't be alone in this." She smiled and rested her hand on his arm reassuringly.

He looked at her, the worry apparent on his face. "I'm not worried about myself, it's just... Well... I guess I should have told you sooner..."

"What is it?"

"I fear for your life as well," Shikamaru admitted. "You're associated with me and if I end up dead then you can go to the authorities and blame it on Anzu. She might... she might try to take you out as well."

Sakura looked down at her lap and sighed. "I'll admit… I've already considered that possibility. I didn't say anything to you because I didn't want you to fear for me. I'm still in this with you and I don't want you to think this'll scare me away. I'll die to protect you."

Shikamaru's chocolate-brown eyes widened in shock. She was willing to _die_ for him. Her eyes were shining with sincerity, her gentle frown conveying her determination and the conviction she placed behind her words.

"Neither of us will die if I can help it," Shikamaru said, putting a hand on hers. He smiled warmly, a familiar feeling swelling in his chest. They had come a long way since the beginning of their mission and their acting had become second nature. It wasn't hard at all to act like a couple now. They had placed so much trust in one another and rebuilt their damaged friendship. To hear that Sakura was willing to die to protect him... well, that was just a testament to how much their relationship had grown.

His eyes were fixated on hers, his gaze conveying all of his sincerity. He meant that with every fiber of his being, and Sakura could tell that he would do anything to protect her.

She felt herself blushing a little, his loving gaze seeming like more than just an act.

She had never really given much thought to Shikamaru as a potential romantic partner until now. He was taking her out on dates and even though it was just an act, she was falling for him. He made a much better pretend spouse than she ever imagined he would be and he really seemed to put his heart into it. She knew it was all just acting, and she felt a bit foolish for falling under his spell.

She had always been quick to give her heart away in the past, and always to those who wanted nothing to do with it. She spent her teenage years chasing after Sasuke when it was obvious he didn't return her affections. She feared that Shikamaru would be another dead end to stomp on her heart.

But he had been respectful and caring and sweet even when they weren't acting, and never once did he act cold and distant. He was so much more caring and responsive than Sasuke ever was.

A tiny part of her wished that this wouldn't end when they went back to Konoha, that they could continue to spend time together and go on dates and have him care about her as he appeared to now. Inevitably it would end, though, and they'd go back to their peer working relationship and never speak of this again.

"What's wrong?"

Sakura looked up, startled out of her thoughts by Shikamaru's voice.

"What do you mean?" she asked, bowing her head and looking at him with sad emerald eyes.

"You look so sad, that's all."

Sakura bit her lip. "It's nothing, I just..."

"You just what?"

"I was just thinking, that's all. I never expected to like spending this much time with you, no offense."

Shikamaru smiled a little. "None taken."

Sakura sighed. "...and now that this mission is coming to a close, I realized that we're almost done spending time together."

"You know, just because we'll be going home doesn't mean that we can't still spend time together. This has been a great bonding experience for the both of us and it would be silly to go back to being almost nothing just because we're back home."

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat and she looked at the man before her. He was giving her that same gentle look as he had done several times before, the one that made her feel like everything would be okay.

"I know we don't _have_ to stop hanging out or anything, it's just that... I know it'll be different when we get home."

It was Shikamaru's turn to widen his eyes, his heart beginning to beat madly. Just the implication that Sakura didn't want things to change was enough to make him hopeful.

He wanted to tell her that things didn't have to change if she didn't want, but he held back, fearful that he was looking into this too much.

Instead, he smiled gently and patted her hands. "Well if you enjoy this so much, then we should get out there and do our thing."

She deflated a little. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was hoping he'd say something different than that.

She gave a sad smile and agreed. "You're right." They had a job to do and that job came first.

"We should look for Anzu today," she reasoned. "If she decides to show her face, that is. We need to make sure she picks you for her next target and there's no better way to remind her than to meet up with her."

"Let's go to the beach," Shikamaru suggested. "In any case, she'll be looking for her next target and there are bound to be plenty of attractive men to pick from there."

...

The two leaf shinobi walked to the beach hand-in-hand, as they had done all week. They had done a considerable job of convincing the townspeople of their relationship, and their acting had only gotten better as they eased up around one another.

What was once eating separately turned into Shikamaru feeding Sakura. They had laid side-by-side on the beach at first, but that had evolved into loving touches and caresses. Her giggles had become more realistic and less forced, and he had smiled more often than he ever thought he could.

The two approached their usual spot on the beach only to find that it was taken. It was more crowded than usual, and for good reason. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the waves were lightly crashing along the shore, and children and adults alike bustled about the beach.

"Where do you want to set our stuff down?" Shikamaru asked.

Sakura grinned. "I have an idea... let's go closer to the water."

Shikamaru nodded and the two walked down closer to the ocean. "Do you want to swim today?"

Sakura stopped walking, her toes curled in the damp sand. "I was thinking we could build a sandcastle!"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Aren't we a little old for sandcastles?"

"Oh come on, Shikamaru, _please_?" She begged, lacing her fingers together and giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

She had such a childish sense of wonder in her eyes and her beautiful face looked innocent and sweet. Her lips were slightly pouty and Shikamaru had to wonder where girls learned to tug at a guy's heartstrings like that.

When they were children, Ino used this power to manipulate him and Choji all the time. He thought he'd become immune to it over the years, but he thought wrong.

Shikamaru looked away and smirked. "Fine, fine, we can build a sandcastle, just stop looking at me like that!"

She immediately broke out of it, clasping her hands together excitedly. "Yay! Thanks Shikamaru!"

"Let's go just a little further out so that the sand is wet enough," Shikamaru suggested. "Just not too far or the tide will ruin it."

The two walked a few feet closer to the water until Sakura plopped down on her backside and demanded that Shikamaru join her.

He sat down, his usual lazy scowl on his face. "I guess this is the spot, huh?"

Sakura was too busy scooping sand with her hands to respond, and Shikamaru chuckled as he watched her form a crude mountain of wet sand that vaguely resembled a structure.

"Here, let me help you," he said softly, sitting down next to her and placing his hands over hers to guide them.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

He was looking at her while he made her hands rub the mountain of sand slowly, gently. His narrowed brown eyes were giving her that same look of loving desire, and it quickly brought color to Sakura's cheeks.

He released her hands and maintained eye contact. "See? Like that."

Sakura gulped nervously and nodded, looking down at the sandcastle.

It was looking much more like a tower now, and upon close inspection she could see tiny ribbons of shadow starting to carve the individual bricks and turrets into the castle. A glance at Shikamaru revealed that he was making the hand sign for his shadow ninjutsu, hiding it from everyone's view but hers.

She gasped softly and looked at him in worry. "It looks absolutely amazing, but..." she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Aren't we supposed to hide any trace of being ninja?"

"It's nothing to worry about," he reassured. "No one would even notice something that small." He glanced around nonchalantly before looking at the pink-haired kunoichi again. "No one is even watching."

Sakura looks around the beach for any sign that someone noticed his ninjutsu, but once again Shikamaru was right. No one was paying them any attention.

"Well in that case, it looks beautiful," Sakura said graciously. "I didn't know you could do something so intricate with your shadow."

Shikamaru chuckled lightly. "Guess I'm full of surprises, huh?"

Sakura smiled and began to pile up another mound of sand next to their already existing tower. "Come on, let's make the castle bigger," she said.

"It's you two!"

Sakura and Shikamaru immediately turned their heads to the source of the voice, knowing all too well who it belonged to.

They were so preoccupied with their castle-building that they hadn't even noticed Anzu approach them.

"It's you!" Sakura cried, feigning excitement. "What are you doing here?"

Anzu smiled and made eye contact with the both of them before settling on the male half of the duo. "I should be asking you the same question," she said. "I'm surprised you're still in town. Vacationers usually leave after a week or so."

Shikamaru turned to his wife and smiled. "I think we both deserved a nice long vacation. We'll be in town for another day or so."

Sakura gave him a pout and crossed her arms. "This vacation has been too short," she sighed.

Shikamaru hoped that by saying that their time in town is limited, Anzu would take that as a sign to move ahead and snag him.

Anzu brought a hand to her mouth in false shock. "I don't want my new friends to go so soon!"

Sakura fought back the urge to scoff at her fake display and instead gave her a saccharine sweet smile. "We should all get together one more time before we leave," she suggested.

Anzu raised her thin slanted eyebrows and smiled. "That sounds perfect! How about tomorrow night? Would that be good?"

"We can do that," Shikamaru said, giving Sakura an approving glance.

"I hate to leave so soon, it's just that I saw you guys on my way out and I stopped over to say hi," she said. "I'll see you both tomorrow night at The Katana at 7?"

"Sounds good!"

Anzu walked out of sight and Shikamaru and Sakura shared a glance before returning to their sandcastle construction. They would most definitely discuss this later. But for now, there was an elegant sand castle to be built.

...

"This is our only chance," Sakura said as soon as they entered their hotel room. Shikamaru shut the door behind him and walked into the room, immediately heading for his bag for some fresh clothes. "I have a plan," she continued.

Shikamaru perked his head up. "I'm listening."

"We'll get you alone with Anzu," she said excitedly, grabbing a t-shirt from her bag and slipping it on over her bikini.

"How's that gonna work?" Shikamaru asked, grabbing a shirt and a pair of boxers and sitting on the bed.

Sakura reached inside the back of her t-shirt and fiddled with something. "I won't show up to dinner but you will, and you can go from there." With a relieved sigh, she pulled her untied bikini top out of the shirt and placed it in her bag.

Shikamaru did his best not to blush, keeping a straight face. Clearly she was feeling a lot more comfortable around him than before. "It's a dangerous plan."

Sakura smiled and pulled out a pair of underwear and some sleep shorts from her bag. "It'll be fine! Just tell her that I'm too sick to show up and that you slipped out anyways to see her. Also, turn around so I can change."

Shikamaru sighed. "Fine, but I'm going to change too, so no looking."

"Sure thing."

Shikamaru slipped out of his swim shorts and quickly pulled up the boxers. Still turned to face the wall, he sat back down. "I'm good now. Also, that's a pretty good plan. It'll get me alone with her and everything, but I'd never do such a thing."

"That's why it's called acting," Sakura said good-naturedly. "It doesn't have to be something you'd normally do as long as you make it convincing.

"I'm all good now. You can turn around," Sakura said. There was a shift on the bed as she sat down. He turned around to face her. "I'll keep an eye on you two while you're at dinner, and hopefully if Anzu makes a move, I'll track the two of you. If the situation ever gets out of control, I'll be there ready to help you."

Shikamaru sighed and folded his hands uncomfortably. "It could work," he admitted. "But in all honesty it makes me nervous. I wish it didn't have to come to this."

Sakura tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What is there to be nervous about? I'll be there right with you to make sure you're safe."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. "Well yes, but we're still not sure about what Anzu does with these men besides kill them, but seeing as she's wanted as a former prostitute and everything she does screams sex, I'm afraid I might have to sleep with her."

Sakura gave a surprisingly bitter laugh. "Most men would kill to sleep with someone as beautiful as Anzu," she muttered.

Shikamaru frowned. "Well I'm not most men. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having sex, but I'm not this desperate. I'd prefer for it to be meaningful."

The blush forming on Sakura's face was unmistakable. She hadn't expected to hear him say that.

The more she thought about the implications of that sentence, the more she thought about what sleeping with Shikamaru would be like. She hastily tried to push those dirty thoughts out of her head, seeing as they were in each other's presence and she did not need that imagery right now.

Shikamaru looked sideways. "Also, because she was a prostitute and she slept around a lot at one point, she might have diseases and I personally don't want any part of that. She disposes of these men when she's done with them, so what is she doing while they're alive?"

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Good point. How is she killing these men? She is a kunoichi, but I doubt she'd resort to using jutsu to kill these men because this is a city of civilians. There would be no need for them to die in such an extravagant way and leave her chakra signature behind."

Shikamaru agreed. "I'm thinking that she must keep these men prisoner. That's why we didn't see Hiro after the first day. She must have been hiding him until his death, but that still leaves us wondering what she does to them before their death."

Sakura widened her eyes. "That's a good point! We haven't seen her over the past few days because she was probably doing whatever she does to kill them."

Shikamaru nodded, looking sick. "This very well may lead to my death if we're not careful."

Sakura looked at him, concerned. "It's like I told you before, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't di-"

She yawned mid-sentence, and Shikamaru smiled softly. With a soft groan, he got off the bed. "I think you should be getting to sleep," he said, moving over to his pile of blankets and pillows on the floor.

"Wait!" Sakura cried sleepily.

Shikamaru paused and looked at her. "What?"

"You... don't have to sleep on the floor. You can sleep on the bed with me... if you want, anyways." Her tone was cautious but sure of her decision.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "What changed? I thought it made you uncomfortable to think about sharing a bed with me." His heart was pounding, recalling that dream he had one of the first nights. Only this time, it was reality. Or at least as far as he could tell.

Sakura looked to the side, avoiding eye contact. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought I'd offer because the floor isn't comfortable and this might be one of the last nights we both spend in the hotel if everything goes according to plan."

Shikamaru sighed in relief, knowing that a reasonable non-sexual Sakura meant that he was awake. "Well if you're sure, then yeah, I'd like to sleep up there with you. The floor _has_ been incredibly uncomfortable."

Sakura smiled and reclined, her back to him. "Then come up here, silly." Her voice was reduced to a soft sleepy mumble.

He climbed onto the bed and went to take his shirt off before pausing. "Is it alright with you if I sleep shirtless?" he asked, looking at his companion. She was already too much asleep to respond, so he went ahead and took it off anyways.

Shikamaru smiled and settled into the bed, immediately noting the softness of the mattress and blankets. He turned onto his side and quickly felt himself drift off to sleep.

...

He didn't know what woke him up, because the hotel bed was so much more comfortable than the floor could ever be. Still, Shikamaru found himself awake. His eyes opened a crack, a disgruntled look on his face. He usually had no trouble sleeping, so it annoyed him to no end that he kept waking up in the middle of the night like this.

He stared into the darkness of the ceiling above, listening to Sakura's quick, erratic breathing, punctuated with quiet sniffles.

Wait.

Shikamaru turned onto his side and looked at the pink-haired girl. Her back was to him, her shoulders shaking. It almost looked like she was crying.

"Sakura? Are you awake?" Shikamaru whispered tentatively.

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched ever so slightly at his touch, and turned to face him in surprise.

Her tearstained cheeks were shining in the soft moonlight that crept in through the window.

Without any words, she scooched close to him, her face close to his. Her eyes were still glistening at the corners with unshed tears. Even in the low light, he could see that they were slightly red and puffy around the edges. She had been crying for some time before he noticed.

"Sakura..." Shikamaru mumbled softly, the surprise evident on his face.

She sniffled and gave him a pathetic look, and he responded by wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer. "What's the matter?" He asked quietly, sweetly.

She mumbled something into his chest, her voice rising to a distressed cry before cracking.

Shikamaru felt his heart aching a little as he held her gently. She was very upset about something and it hurt him to see her like that. He ran a hand down her back, petting her tenderly and reassuringly. "Shhh, shh, it's okay sweetheart, can you say that for me again? I can't understand you if you mumble like that," he cooed softly.

She sniffled and looked up at him, her chin against his chest and her eyes brimming with tears.

"I-I was thinking about how your life might be in real danger," she said fearfully. "I'm so _stupid_! M-my plan is leading you straight toward death! I don't want to lose you!"

She clutched at his chest as she cried through her last line, putting her forehead against him. Her entire body was wracked with sobs and he could feel the warm wetness of her tears as they fell against his chest.

Shikamaru ran a hand through her soft pink hair tenderly and reassuringly, his narrow eyes focused on the girl before him as she bared herself to him. "Shh, it's okay," he said, his chin resting on the top of her head. He could smell her shampoo. "There's no need to worry about me, okay? We're ninja; we always face the threat of death and I've come closer to it in the past. You're doing nothing wrong by planning things this way. If all goes according to plan, this is a great way to finish the mission."

Another sob shook her entire body. "But I don't want you to sleep with her."

Shikamaru tightened his hold on her, feeling another blow to his already aching heart. "I know, darling, I don't want to sleep with her either, but if I have to then I have to."

She turned her head, her wet cheek against his chest.

"Don't you worry, sweetheart," Shikamaru mumbled softly into her hair. He held her in a close, intimate embrace. "Don't you worry."

* * *

**Thoughts? This is a huge turning point in Sakura and Shikamaru's relationship! What will happen next? How will their plan play out? Stay tuned, keep those reviews coming, and as always, thank you so much for reading. It really warms my heart.**

**-Gallade**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Guess who's back after a super-long hiatus? Shikamaru and Sakura! Words can't express how sorry I am that it took this long to get the next chapter out. I really lost steam on this fic, even though I had nine out of ten chapters already written when I first published it. My writing style is constantly evolving and maturing (which is a good thing), but it made me really lose motivation when I realized I needed to change some things about this and didn't know how to go about doing it. I think I finally addressed what was giving me so much trouble with this chapter, so now I can go on with it. I'm not going to revise how the rest of this fic is written until I get the entire thing published. I don't want to keep you lovely readers waiting for too long.  
**

**I promised this would be a quick note, but I was wrong. I wanted to include some important warnings. Things get pretty heavy in this chapter and, well... you'll have to read to find out what happens! There are some very sexual and violent scenes, so if you're uncomfortable with that, then proceed with caution or avoid reading further! It's important to the story, I promise. -Gallade **

* * *

Sakura woke up very gracefully that morning. It was a very gradual, calm awakening, one of those ones where you drift in and out of sleep for a little but you have no need to get out of bed right away, so you end up laying there. She was vaguely aware of a heavy weight across her side and the presence of someone right behind her in bed, but she felt so safe and comfortable that it didn't faze her.

When she had finally woken up for good, she realized that the weight was someone's arm draped over her side. She felt slow, warm breaths on the back of her neck, ruffling her hair ever so slightly.

She turned her head carefully to avoid jostling him awake and looked at the man who was holding her.

Shikamaru.

Her stomach dropped for a second, a heaviness tugging at something in her lower abdomen. If this was any other man, she would have sent them flying into next week, but with Shikamaru she didn't mind one bit. She felt safe and comfortable and cared about in his embrace.

For once she was awake before him, something that had not happened once since they got here. Once she thought about it, the whole waking-up-early thing was very uncharacteristic of the lazy ninja. Had the floor really been that uncomfortable for him this whole time? He looked so peaceful and she didn't want to disturb the first good rest he'd gotten since their departure from the leaf.

She vaguely recalled last night's events, and she could tell that they had indeed happened - her cheeks were tight with dried tears she had shed. She could remember being upset and crying, but she wasn't sure if she'd dreamed up Shikamaru's responses. Clearly _something_ must have happened last night, otherwise his arm wouldn't be around her.

More memories came flooding back to her as she studied his peaceful sleeping features. He had responded to her every need last night: she needed reassurance, which he gave her, and she needed to be held and gently talked to while still validating all of her concerns. He understood exactly how to show her that everything would be okay. The tenderness of his large hands, the soft murmur of his voice, the loving words that were so carefully crafted...

Another tug and a burst of heat bloomed in her lower abdomen.

This man was wonderful.

She pulled herself in closer to Shikamaru's sleeping form, the back of her entire body pressed against his front.

...

He was only vaguely aware of his physical surroundings in the waking world as his mind was still dreaming. It was a strange limbo, but he was perfectly content with it. The lazy shinobi felt his mission partner shifting about in bed and he wondered if her closeness was the reason he was having such a ...vivid... dream about her.

In his dreamy state, he could see the pinkette directly next to him in the bed, her slender form barely covered by a thin linen sheet. Her hair was ruffled and her face was flushed, her eyes focused on his.

"You ready for round two?" She asked in a sinfully seductive voice. She moved closer and swiftly hooked a leg over his hip in one fluid motion, causing her to press against his throbbing erection.

A deep moan escaped the brunette's lips.

"I'm always ready," he grunted in response, grinding his hardened cock into her core. They were only separated by bunched up sheets and he could feel the heat of her arousal on his own.

"Shikamaru, are you ready to go?" A voice called from outside the bedroom.

Shikamaru frowned and looked up at the door, knowing that voice all too well. There was no way...

The door opened and a dirty-blonde head with pigtails peeked inside.

"Temari?"

...

Sakura pressed herself to the sleeping shinobi beside her and hummed softly as his grip on her unconsciously tightened. He was holding her close and made a low moaning noise in his sleep.

Sakura gasped softly as she felt a hardness against her backside, throbbing eagerly and pressing more as it grew. She quickly turned her head to look at him, a pleased little smirk on her face. So, that was his game, huh?

She pressed her backside into him more and he ground into her, his arm holding her tight against him.

As she pressed against him, he stirred a little.

"Mm... Temari?" He mumbled.

The pinkette felt like she had been shot through the chest, piercing her heart and turning her blood to ice. Her breath hitched in her throat as an intense wave of nausea passed over her. All of the romance was lost in an instant.

Shakily, she pulled herself from his grasp, not wanting to believe her ears. Temari? He was dreaming about _Temari_?! Fuck, he wasn't actually thinking about her at all!

As she scrambled to get as far away from his grasp as she could, her movements jostled him awake. The spiky-haired shinobi opened his eyes groggily. "What is it?" he asked in alarm, slurring his words slightly as he was thrown back into consciousness.

He focused his gaze on the slender kunoichi perched at the edge of the bed, her eyes narrowed in disgust and embarrassment and a hundred other negative emotions he didn't have the time to name. Her face was almost the same shade of pink as her hair, her lips gaped as she drew ragged, audible breaths.

"I can't believe you," she spat, finally settling on words. Her tone was harsh and bitter and hollow.

Shikamaru swept a loose strand of brown hair behind his ear and looked at the beautiful girl before him in genuine confusion. "What's wrong? I thought we were having a nice moment."

The pinkette backed away from the bed completely, her hands burying themselves in her hair as she tugged at her pink locks lightly. "_We_?! _We_ were? Don't you mean you and Temari?" Her eyes were blazing with an emerald fire, but they were becoming wet at the corners.

The lazy brunette's eyes shot open in realization, thinking back to the dream he was having. Had she somehow known what was going on while he was asleep? Had he said the sand kunoichi's name in the waking world?

"Wait, is that what this is about? Sakura, I can explain-"

"No need to," the beautiful kunoichi spat in a choked-sounding voice. "I think I can get the picture."

She stomped over to the closet and hastily gathered her civilian purse, slipping a light jacket over her sleep shirt and shorts. "I can't even deal with you right now. I need to get away for a little. You can do this mission on your own, you jackass! I bet you'll be happy to sleep with Anzu! She's not Temari, but I guess you'll like that she's not me either." With that, she slammed the door behind her and left the hotel room.

Shikamaru cursed and hit a pillow with his fist. This wasn't supposed to happen! Things were going so well too! They slept in the same bed by her invitation. She was the one who initiated everything and he was having such a wonderful dream about her until Temari had broken it apart.

He had no idea why the sand-nin had invaded his dreams or why she had walked in on his subconscious while he was in bed with Konoha's best medical kunoichi. He had no desire to psychoanalyze the dream too much, either. He knew that Temari meant nothing to him in the romantic sense and he was certain his interests were devoted to Sakura, so there was no need to dig deep. He needed to find a way to fix this.

He cursed again and looked at the clock. It was much later than he thought it was. He sat there with a distressed look on his face, wondering whether or not he should go chase after Sakura or let her blow off some steam. Maybe after some thinking, she would come back and let him explain what had happened, but Shikamaru realized that was too optimistic to be reality. The hotheaded kunoichi wasn't about to come back for an explanation; not when she was feeling this betrayed.

He brought a hand to his forehead, his head throbbing. The tension was giving him a wicked headache.

Chasing after Sakura would only make her madder, he decided. They were back to square one and he really didn't know what to do now. Though he wasn't guilty of thinking about Temari in the way Sakura assumed he had been, he was caught red-handed (or, rather, with a hard dick and the name of another girl on his tongue). He didn't exactly look innocent from Sakura's perspective.

He sighed and got up, searching the room for a comb. He needed to make himself presentable, at least.

* * *

He found himself at the same tea shop they had visited on their first full day in Tsumi.

"Just one?" The older woman asked, looking a bit confused. She'd seen Sakura and Shikamaru several times that week, and every time they had come into the tea shop they were together.

"Just one..." Shikamaru sighed.

She directed him towards a small table that wasn't too out of the way of everyone else. "Someone will be over shortly."

He sat there, feeling weird without Sakura by his side. He had grown so accustomed to going places with her, and now that she was somewhere else, he felt really lonely. It was like he was missing a huge part of himself.

"Hey you... guys?" The waitress sang as she approached the table. "It's just you today?" She set down a tea cup and looked at him, concerned.

Shikamaru continued to stare straight ahead. "Mhm."

"Where's your wife?" She asked, frowning slightly.

"She's mad at me," Shikamaru sighed, holding onto his empty teacup. "I'm not really comfortable saying why."

The waitress poured him a cup of tea. "I'm so sorry to hear that! I know it'll work itself out. I've seen you guys in here all the time and you always get along so well! You just... you guys embody this natural and beautiful love that _everyone_ wishes they could have."

Shikamaru blushed and stared at his tea, saying nothing.

The waitress became red in the face. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I hope that wasn't out of line! Do you want anything to eat?"

Shikamaru nodded slowly and absentmindedly. "Probably best if I eat a little something. Just some toast, please. I'm not feeling too hungry."

The waitress frowned. "Sir, if this is about your wife, then it's important that you eat. I'll bring you something else on the house."

Shikamaru sighed again. "I guess so," he agreed. He turned back to staring at his tea.

He heard a harsh laugh and turned to see the same two women from earlier in the week. They were looking directly at him, the louder and more boisterous one had this bitter smirk on her face. "Excuse me, can I help you ladies?" Shikamaru asked, feeling slightly irritated.

The loud one (Rui, was it?) gave another harsh laugh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh _at_ you. It's just funny to hear about a woman gone missing. It's always the men who disappear and leave their unhappy wife behind."

The quieter woman nodded. "And sometimes they'll show up dead."

Shikamaru played dumb, remembering that the smaller woman had just lost her husband to Anzu. "Dead? What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.

The smaller one bowed her head and looked ready to cry. Rui frowned softly at her before looking at Shikamaru. "Both of our husbands went missing at different times," she explained. "They showed up dead about a week later in both cases."

Shikamaru put on a shocked face. "That's such a weird coincidence," he said. "What ended up happening to them?"

The quieter woman (Ami, was it?) looked to the side, unable to respond.

Rui scoffed. "Don't mind this one. She just doesn't want to admit that men are cheating bastards. Her husband just recently turned up dead."

Shikamaru frowned slightly. "I'm going to ignore that comment about men being cheating bastards," he muttered. "But I think I remember reading something about that in the paper. What makes you believe they cheated? If you don't mind my asking, that is. I'm concerned about my wife."

Rui nodded in understanding. "When they were found dead, their genitals were cut off," she explained. "They also usually had rope burns or other burns and marks on their bodies. My dirty lying cheating husband was lucky he escaped me, otherwise _I'd_ cut his balls off _for him_ after a stunt like that!"

Shikamaru cringed. Things were only looking grimmer for him. If he went through with the plan and let himself get captured, he could actually die a gruesome, painful death. This was infinitely more risky now that Sakura left him to finish the mission himself, but he needed to go through with it anyways because of their limited time here.

His eyes widened as a chill passed through him, realization hitting him like a truck. He was supposed to go to dinner with her tonight.

Shikamaru glanced at a clock on the wall before looking back at the two women. "I just realized that I have to go," he said rather urgently.

Ami looked at him with sad eyes. "I hope you find your wife before it's too late," she said.

Shikamaru nodded. "Thank you, I hope so too." He reached in his pocket and left some money on the table, dashing out of the restaurant.

He passed the waitress on his way out as she was carrying his toast and a warm pastry. She watched him go out the door and sighed.

* * *

Shikamaru pulled his suit jacket together and buttoned it in the front.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and sighed with disdain. He was wearing the same white button-down shirt and black pants from before, except this time he went out and bought a matching suit jacket for tonight's occasion. With any luck, it would create the desired impression with Anzu.

He was filled with unease and hesitation, the feat he was about to tackle knotting his stomach with dread.

He went over to the desk and pulled a pen and piece of paper out of the drawer. Sitting down in the desk chair, he gripped the writing utensil and began to leave a note.

"Sakura: I've gone to dinner with Anzu. The original plan still stands. We'll be at the same restaurant as before and it's likely we'll go back to her place or something if I am indeed her next target. If I'm not back by 10:00, I'm probably in trouble or dealing with Anzu. Either way, your help would be much appreciated."

He brought the end of the pen to his mouth thoughtfully before continuing.

"I'm sorry for making you mad earlier. I realize more than ever that I need you. Not just because of the mission or because my life is at stake, but because I've learned over the past few days that I really truly need you in my life."

-Shikamaru

He set the pen down and sighed, looking over the note a few times. With any luck, his heartfelt confession would make Sakura realize that he never meant any harm. He hated to think about it, but if he died on this mission, then at least Sakura would know about his true feelings. She would know that he did everything for her out of the goodness of his heart, not because of acting.

He stood up and checked his pocket, feeling the scroll he packed. Inside were a few ninja tools he might need to assassinate Anzu, and yet the scroll was tiny and inconspicuous. He felt his wallet in there too, packed with just enough money to pay for dinner. You know, just in case Anzu decided to steal his wallet too.

"I guess I've procrastinated long enough," Shikamaru sighed, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten more. This mission had him more terrified than ever. He had done plenty of dangerous things in the past, and yet he never felt this kind of nervousness. He was fairly confident enough in his abilities as a shinobi, but this mission was different. This mission required experience in the matters of romance, something he felt he was lacking in.

He prayed that Sakura would come back in time to see his note. With another sigh and a mutter of 'troublesome,' he left the hotel room.

...

Shikamaru arrived at the restaurant and immediately spotted Anzu sitting at a table along the back wall. He clenched his fists, swallowed nervously, and walked to join her.

"Hey there!" He cried with mock enthusiasm as he approached the table.

Anzu looked up from her menu, her face lighting up and quickly falling again. She looked confused.

"Where's your wife?" She asked.

Shikamaru pulled out a chair across from Anzu and sat down. "She's not feeling well tonight," Shikamaru said, going along with the story Sakura came up with. "I still wanted to see you so I snuck out after she fell asleep."

Anzu looked amused, the look on her face making it very clear that she thought she had her hold on him.

"...Well I'm _glad_ pinky's gone. I've wanted to nab you ever since I first laid eyes on you," she said, her tone immediately becoming colder and more serious. Her golden predatory eyes focused on him intensely, and Shikamaru's heart began to race. He now knew what mice felt like right before cats pounced, and it was terrifying.

His suspicions were confirmed. He was the next target.

_Oh god, Sakura, please get here. Let me know you're here._

Shikamaru looked down at the table, playing coy. "You know, I've never been a cheater but you might just be the one to change my mind." He hated the words as soon as they came out of his mouth and he hoped that if Sakura was listening, she knew it was just part of the act.

...

"May I interest you guys in some dessert?" The waitress asked.

Shikamaru glanced at Anzu to see what she decided. She shook her head and declined. "No thanks, we're going back to my place for dessert." She gave Shikamaru a suggestive look.

The waitress appeared to be a little embarrassed by that. "I'll just come by with the check then," she said, hurrying away.

Shikamaru felt his stomach drop, his pulse quickening to a dangerous pace. He breathed in and out slowly, reminding himself that he's a shinobi. He shouldn't be getting so nervous. This was what he was sent here to do. The objective was the assassination all along; it was never solely about vacationing and playing husband to Sakura.

...

"Here we are," Anzu said, opening the door to her house. She held the door open for Shikamaru and gestured for him to enter. He walked into the small living room and waited for Anzu to close the door.

"Sit," she instructed, pointing to the black leather couch. Shikamaru did as he was told and silently prayed that Sakura would be able to find where they went. He'd come to the horrible realization that the pink-haired kunoichi hadn't made her presence known to him, so it was highly unlikely that she was watching. She wouldn't have any way to find Anzu's place.

Anzu shut the door behind her and sauntered over to the couch.

Shikamaru felt conflicted. Part of him wanted to postpone this whole thing until he could get Sakura on board, but he also knew he couldn't wait any longer. An opportunity to get this close would never come again.

Anzu sat down beside him, her thighs touching his.

Shikamaru cleared his throat nervously as Anzu leaned in dangerously close to him. "So, what are we having for dessert?" he asked.

"You."

Shikamaru couldn't suppress the look of horror that came over his face.

Anzu crossed her arms and looked at him through narrowed eyes, a strange smirk on her face. "I thought you wanted this," she said seductively.

He cleared his throat again. "I-I do! It's just that I love Sakura, that's all."

"Come on, let's have a little fun for just one night," Anzu said, grabbing a hold of Shikamaru's wrists. Her tone had risen to a demand.

"I don't know if I-"

His refusal was cut off as she leaned in and kissed the lazy genius. His eyes widened in surprise and he wanted to pull away, but he could feel his head becoming foggy. He was slipping into a deep, strange unconsciousness.

Shikamaru's eyes fell shut as he passed out and the world became black.

* * *

The first thing Shikamaru was aware of was the pounding headache he had. He felt like he was waking up from a bad night of drinking, though he knew he hadn't consumed a drop of alcohol. The last thing he could remember was being forcefully kissed by Anzu.

His eyes opened slowly and he cringed, the dim artificial light fueling his headache.

Where was he?

Shikamaru attempted to sit up and survey his surroundings only to find that he was chained in place. His heart dropped with nervousness and he whipped his head to look around. His wrists and ankles were firmly shackled in place, bound to a metal bed frame by sturdy chains.

His eyes widened and he struggled some more. Nothing would budge. His feeble attempts at breaking free only made him bounce up and down on the mattress.

Where the hell_ was_ he?

He frantically looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was the darkness of the room. Upon waking, the lights burned his sensitive eyes, but now that they had adjusted he could see that the overhead lights were dim. There were no windows either, and the walls appeared to be made of solid concrete brick.

It almost looked like a basement. Why would there be a bed in a cold, dark basement?

His head returned to a neutral position and he looked at the ceiling once again. "Hello?" He called, his voice sounding flat in this room. He had to wonder if the concrete soundproofed it somehow.

"Who are you calling for?" a deep female voice asked. "There's no one here but me."

Shikamaru felt numb, a cold tingle making its way down his spine. There was only one person that voice could have belonged to, and she was the very person he dreaded the most.

He turned his head in alarm, looking into the shadowy corner from where the voice came. "Show yourself!" He cried.

She laughed menacingly and Shikamaru struggled against his chains in a frantic attempt to escape. Nothing moved. He sent a burst of chakra into the cuffs around his wrists, hoping to overwhelm them. To his horror, his chakra reserves were almost entirely depleted. No wonder he was feeling so worn out and hung over.

"That won't do you any good," Anzu taunted from the shadows. "Those chains are made of a special metal that saps chakra"

She stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself. "I didn't think I'd have to pull out the big guns here, but I had the feeling you were a shinobi and I wanted to make sure you won't get away."

Shikamaru's pulse quickened again, adrenaline flooding his system. "HEEELP!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Anzu let loose another menacing laugh. "Idiot. We're too far underground for anyone to hear us in this soundproofed room."

Shikamaru swore loudly, his breathing rapid. He felt terrified, the horrible realization coming over him. He was royally fucked. He couldn't use chakra, his hands and legs were restrained so he couldn't form hand signs, and no one could find him.

He craned his neck and saw that he was nearly naked. While he was out, Anzu stripped him of his shirt and pants, leaving him in just a pair of boxer briefs.

He cursed and looked at Anzu in horror. She was wearing black lacy lingerie.

This was so very bad. There was no way Sakura could find him and free him. Anzu's intentions were very clear, and with no ability to fight back, his only hope for survival was to prove to be sexually insufficient for her. Unless that made her angry and go for the kill, that is.

But going on that vein, he had to try his hardest to not be aroused, no matter what she did to him.

Then again... if he didn't satisfy, would she_ like_ the challenge? She might enjoy it when Shikamaru resisted. He felt absolutely hopeless with the realization that he just didn't know what to do.

"I _know _you're a shinobi. Don't deny it," she said sharply, approaching the bed. "What I want to know is if your wife is too."

He gulped and closed his eyes. Okay, so Anzu still believed they were married. Their acting was solid and believable, though Shikamaru knew that it wasn't acting on his part. He had grown to love Sakura and it had obviously shown through his act.

Shikamaru stayed silent, his refusal to comply written all over his face.

Anzu frowned, a nasty expression on her heavily made-up face.

"If you won't tell me, then I'll force the words out of you," she said, her voice both seductive and dangerous. Very dangerous. She slinked onto the bed, seemingly drinking up the horror Shikamaru was emitting.

He jammed his eyes shut and prayed for the best. He felt her thin, sharp-nailed fingers graze over his taut abdomen, gently making their way lower and lower. He drew in a sharp breath of air and his body tensed as he resisted her attempts to arouse him.

_Please, please don't react... for Sakura's sake... for the sake of her safety..._

It was in his favor that he was also extremely terrified. Anzu kneaded and stroked and felt him up through his boxers, and yet miraculously he managed to stay flaccid. He heard her groan in frustration and her hands soon pulled away.

After a few moments of no contact and her weight shifting off the bed, Shikamaru cracked open his tightly shut eyes.

Oh god this was even worse.

Anzu was approaching the bed again, this time with a bladed whip and some cloth for bindings. His eyes bulged and he could feel himself break into a cold sweat. "What are you going to do with those?" He stuttered, his mouth agape.

She stood by the side of the bed, a scowl on her face. "Tell me of Sakura's whereabouts. Is she a ninja too?"

Shikamaru closed his mouth tightly and the brunette tsked, shaking her head. "Silence won't do you any good. It won't do me any harm, either. You see, either you tell me about your wife so I can kill her or you receive punishment. I'll enjoy either option."

Shikamaru gulped, looking at the items Anzu was carrying. "No," he said firmly. Sakura's safety was important.

Anzu set down the cloths and brought back the hand with the whip. "You leave me no choice."

With one swift motion, she cracked the whip on his chest.

Shikamaru cried out, the pain sharp and white hot. It was like a stiff board lined with thousands of needles had bitten into his chest at blinding speeds. The whip pulled back as quickly as it came, but it left a harsh lasting sensation.

He felt a warm trickle of blood and opened his eyes. He had a nasty gash diagonally along his chest, oozing slowly with fresh blood. Already the surrounding skin was beginning to swell up, angry and red.

He was panting, fighting back the urge to scream. The air stung his open wound and he had no way to cover it.

"Tell me."

Shikamaru looked at Anzu, horrified.

"I don't know where she is," he cried frantically. "We had a fight and she stormed out of the hotel. That's the last I've heard of her, I swear. She could be anywhere."

Anzu didn't look pleased.

"You know," she began icily. "I saw the two of you sleeping separately. You seem to fight a lot... are you sure you're _actually_ married?!" she accused.

"We are," Shikamaru lied.

That wasn't the answer Anzu had been looking for. With another quick flick of the wrist, she brought the whip down on his chest, angrier than before.

"AAAHH!" Shikamaru choked, feeling involuntary tears come to his eyes. There was another trickle of warm blood. Now there were two deep gashes in his chest, overlapping slightly.

"Please, I'm telling the truth" Shikamaru begged, his voice filled with desperation. "I really _am _in love with her."

A third crack of the whip sounded through the basement, followed by Shikamaru's pained cry.

Shikamaru's vision was blurred, his head swimming in the immense amount of pain. His breathing was erratic and choked, unconscious whimpers of agony escaping from his open lips.

He felt a finger in his wound and gritted his teeth.

Anzu brought the bloodied finger to her lips and took a taste. Shikamaru looked at her, horrified. This woman was absolutely insane.

Anzu folded her arms and narrowed her cold eyes. "If you love her, then where is she now?"

Shikamaru panted, the open flesh on his chest stinging unbearably. "She... she'll come rescue me... I know it," he said in between shallow breaths.

Anzu gave him a poisonous look. "She must be a kunoichi, then. I'll kill her!" She growled.

"NO!" Shikamaru cried, hot tears spilling down his face. "Please... she means the world to me."

"You're a tough nut to crack, I'll give you that," Anzu said out of the corner of her mouth. Her arms were folded and she looked thoughtful. "It's disgusting. I'll give you some time to think it all over. You'll change your mind about cooperating once you've bled more and you're starving."

That didn't ease his fears any.

She approached the heavy wooden door, the only visible exit from this dungeon.

"Wait!" Shikamaru cried. "Where are you going?!"

Anzu opened the door and turned around, her face icy and her gaze sharp. "I have to take care of pinky," she said as she slammed the door.

"No! NO!" Shikamaru shouted, struggling to break free once again. The effort of thrashing about made his open wounds sear with a blinding pain.

It was no use. He couldn't break free. He was laying here knowing that Sakura was in so much danger and there was nothing he could do.

That alone was torture enough.

* * *

**Super suspenseful! What will happen to Shikamaru? Will Sakura find him in time? Will Shikamaru be able to stop Anzu before it's too late? Only time will tell! **

**Thank you for reading and reviewing :) It makes my day, especially because I've put a crazy amount of time and effort into this story. I will definitely publish the rest in a more reasonable amount of time **

**-Gallade**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! More warnings for everyone: this chapter is very heavy on violence and also has sexual content and stuff, but again it's plot-based and important to the story. There is some really heavy emotional stuff and if severe injury and abusive themes bother you, then PLEASE proceed with caution.**

**Without further ado, here's chapter 8! -Gallade **

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he laid there as he passed in and out of consciousness, the hours melding together. Shikamaru felt that it had been about a full day, though he could see no natural light to judge by. Anzu had still not returned from hunting Sakura, which worried the lazy shinobi a little. There was a strong chance that she could be in trouble, but if that was so then Anzu would have returned to brag about her victory. Still, there could be a whole other conflict that he did not yet know about.

He felt delirious and dehydrated. His head hurt a tremendous amount, but that was nothing compared to the bodily pain he was experiencing. The gashes across his chest had stopped bleeding at last, though they were immensely red and hot and he suspected that they were becoming infected. The pain and swelling were excruciating.

The door flew open at long last and Anzu trudged into the room. Shikamaru craned his neck to see.

She looked very unhappy, which brought some relief.

"Where have you been?" He asked, hoping that her sourness meant the brunette had no luck finding Sakura.

"Shut up," she spat nastily, shutting the door behind her.

"You didn't find her, did you?" Shikamaru pried.

"I couldn't find the pink-haired brat. Happy?"

Relief washed over the leaf shinobi, knowing that Sakura was still out there somewhere. He closed his eyes and hoped that the pink-haired kunoichi put aside her anger and would attempt to rescue him.

He had to wonder if Sakura was really going to help him or if she left Tsumi to go get help. She seemed to care about him the night before they fought and she honestly didn't want to lose him, so where the hell _was_ she?

Shikamaru hoped that she found the note he left and went back to the leaf village for backup if she wasn't coming back alone.

The rustle of fabric distracted Shikamaru from his thoughts. Anzu was slipping out of her outer clothing, revealing more lingerie.

"I'm willing to try again," Anzu said sharply. "And this time I'll make sure that I have you in the palm of my hand."

Shikamaru gave her a distressed look. "Why do you want to have sex with _me_? I'm not special in any way."

Anzu gave a harsh, barking laugh. "It's not you that I'm after. I just love when men resist and fight back. I love when I have total complete dominance and I love to drink in the fear!"

Shikamaru gave her a disgruntled look. "You're crazy. What makes you think today will be any different than before?"

Anzu gave him an unnervingly confident smirk and Shikamaru immediately felt his pulse race.

She leaned over the pile of discarded clothes and pulled a small syringe out of her pocket, uncapping the needle and holding it up to the light. She pressed down on the plunger until a drop of the clear liquid bubbled up at the top. She flicked the side of the syringe a few times until there were no air bubbles.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "What are you going to do with that?" He asked, the familiar feeling of panic returning.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" Anzu sneered. "I'm just making sure you don't disappoint me today."

Shikamaru squirmed uncomfortably against his restraints. "What's in there?"

"Viagra, you idiot."

Fuck.

She approached the bed, a sinister grin on her face. Shikamaru struggled against the chains, desperately trying to avoid the injection.

"Hold still."

"No!"

"Hold still," Anzu repeated, pressing a hand to his abdomen. Shikamaru felt a surge of chakra that induced a strange feeling similar to the one he felt after she kissed him. There must be something tranquilizing about the way she used her chakra. He was immobile, a prisoner in his own body.

His eyes were wide with fear as he felt the pinch of the needle entering his skin. Within seconds he felt an unnatural rushing of blood to the lower half of his body. His heart raced in his chest, hammering against the rib age.

He was done for.

Anzu took her hand off of his abdomen and immediately he could move again.

"Why did you restrain me for so little time?" Shikamaru asked darkly. "I thought you wanted me to cooperate."

Anzu hungrily eyed the growing bulge in his boxer briefs before looking at him and narrowing her gaze. "That's what the Viagra was for. As for immobilizing your whole body, well... I _like_ when my victims struggle."

To Shikamaru's horror, he was already rock-hard and very obviously showing. Anzu was staring at his crotch, a predatory glint in her eye.

"I'm pleasantly surprised," she said, licking her lips. "I thought you'd be on the smaller side but I was wrong."

Shikamaru tensed up as she grabbed a hold of the waistband and pulled his boxers down to his ankles. She gasped delightedly.

Fuck, fuck, fuck...

"This should be more fun than I thought," she said, not taking her eyes off his dick for one second.

She slinked onto the bed as she had done the previous day, only this time there was no real way to resist. His hands and ankles were tied and his dick was hard. His body was all-too accessible for her. There was nothing he could do to stop this horror from happening.

She straddled his belly, leaning forward and almost meeting his face with hers and smirking victoriously. Shikamaru was both nervous and angry - angry at himself for letting it get this far, angry for upsetting Sakura, angry at Anzu for violating him like this. Why did Tsunade send _him_ \- of _all shinobi_ \- to go on a mission like this?! Was it his calling in life to deal with troublesome women?

"Do you like what you see?" Anzu asked slowly, grinding her hips into him.

His eyes widened, the corners of his mouth pulling back in disgust. "No?!" It came out more like a question, and maybe he meant it that way. Did she honestly think he was enjoying this?

Anzu's face turned sour and she sat up, her hands on Shikamaru's shoulders. "You little brat!"

She dragged her razor-sharp nails down his chest, eliciting a hiss of pain from the leaf ninja as she reopened his wounds from the previous day.

"Ah yesss..." She moaned, closing her eyes in pleasure. "Your pain just sounds _so good_."

Shikamaru frowned, bit his lip, and desperately thrashed about, trying to throw her off of him.

"Yes, keep struggling..." She said, gripping his sides. "I love that. In fact... I'm positively dripping with pleasure. I'm going to have you take care of it."

Shikamaru's stomach coiled dangerously. "And how in the hell do you expect me to do that?"

In a well-practiced motion that served as a testament to how many times she'd done this, Anzu removed her panties and placed her knees on either side of Shikamaru's head.

"I'm going to sit on you while you eat me out," she commanded. "You shouldn't worry, I want you alive… for now at least."

Shikamaru's eyebrows knit firmly, his anxiety rising to a whole new level. "You know, I'm going to have a hard time without my hands. Maybe you should free me." Though his situation was beyond distressing, his voice managed to stay much calmer than his true feelings were. This confident, calm exterior came from his many years of being a shinobi.

Anzu looked at him disgustedly. "Do you really think I'm _that_ stupid?!"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and frowned. "It was worth a shot."

"You can't weasel your way out of this," she warned, her voice full of acid. "I won't get up until I'm satisfied. Now open your mouth."

Shikamaru pursed his lips and gave her a defiant look. She responded by pinching his nostrils together. He held his breath, hoping in vain that she'd give up. Deep down he knew she would get her way. He would die at the hands of this abusive serial killer if things didn't change very soon.

His head began to swim and he gasped for air. Anzu seized the opportunity and immediately covered his open mouth with her heat.

Shikamaru gagged, the scent of her arousal overwhelming his senses. He couldn't cry out or protest, his mouth buried in her.

"Struggle. If you want this to go faster, then struggle," She said, leaning her hands against the headboard for leverage as she rocked a little.

Shikamaru shut his eyes tightly and hoped this would be quick. It was hard to breathe with her over his face.

He pushed into her with his tongue and wiggled the warm wet muscle inside of her. She bucked her hips forward a little and gasped lightly. "Mmm, yes..."

He made his way to her outer folds with his tongue, circling her swollen clit with a substantial amount of pressure. She was squirming and moaning so he assumed he was doing something right.

He cursed his luck again, feeling absolutely nauseated by the act he was performing. It was one thing to willingly do this for someone, but this time was completely different and it sickened him.

He could only hope that if Sakura was coming to free him, she didn't see him doing this. This was demeaning, being so forcefully controlled. How would he be able to get across to her with his face buried between Anzu's legs? Would she refuse to listen to him again?

He sucked on her clit and Anzu arched her back in response, her breaths becoming shaky and more erratic. She was getting closer to the edge - he could sense it. Just a little more and she should get up...

"...That's enough of that," Anzu said, pulling herself away from him quickly, like a hand on a hot stove. "I don't want to finish just yet."

Shikamaru gasped for air as the offending woman removed herself from his face. His body was wracked by coughs.

"That was disgusting," Shikamaru sputtered loudly. His complaint was met with a smug grin, which angered him.

"You're fucking insane," He cried. "The least you could do is clean your nasty shit off my face!"

"Shut up, will you?" Anzu shouted, leaning down and picking up the cloths from the day before. "You complain way too much."

She brought a strip of cloth to his face and the spiky-haired ninja turned his head from side to side, struggling. She tied the cloth tightly around his mouth, the pressure from the gag making it impossible for him to open his mouth or speak. His eyes were wide with terror.

"Mmff!" He cried.

"Much better," Anzu sighed. She climbed atop the bed and began to straddle him once again.

Shikamaru shook his head wildly. "Mmm, MMM!"

No no no... This couldn't actually be happening.

Lining up her entrance with his hardness, she hovered over him for a second. She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes and giving him a sadistic smile.

Without another moment spared, she impaled herself on him and hissed through her teeth, her head tilted back.

"That's soo good..." She whispered. "Just knowing that you want to resist is enough to drive me mad."

Shikamaru turned his head and faced the wall, refusing to look at the woman who was violating him, riding him so aggressively. He wanted to throw up but he fought the urge while he was gagged. He wanted to disappear, to die, to break down and sob. He wanted Sakura to be here.

Every downward thrust of hers was an agonizing mix of pain and physical pleasure. While she was warm and wet and all the usual things that could be pleasurable during sex, the spiky-haired shinobi paid them no attention. He was too numb and too feeling at the same time, his head pounding as his vision swam. She was being rough in her actions and it hurt. He didn't want this. There was no way he could want this.

If a struggle was what she wanted, then he'd give her the exact opposite. He would be boring and lay there doing nothing and maybe... just _maybe_... she'd stop.

She thrust herself down onto Shikamaru particularly hard, and his hips bucked reflexively.

"Yesss..." she hissed, moaning and clawing at him. "That's it, just like that."

She brought herself down on him again, identical to the motion that spurred the reflexive thrust.

"Mmff!" he cried, the friction milking his length. Anzu removed the gag in one quick motion, her thrusts becoming harder. "I want to hear you curse and resist," she said, her voice low and rough.

"Fuck!" Shikamaru swore, her hips meeting his as she buried him deep inside herself.

He was horrified at his body's willingness to do this. "Stop!" His voice rose to a scream. It didn't even sound like it belonged to him anymore.

"Yesss," Anzu hissed, leaning onto Shikamaru's chest and digging her razor-sharp nails into his swollen injured skin. He cried out, the tips of her nails drawing blood.

She paused and leaned over the side of the bed, picking something up before sitting upright again.

A kunai.

"What are you going to do with that?!" He cried, his chocolate-brown eyes widening.

Anzu held it to his neck, a saccharine-sweet smile on her face. "I want you to struggle against me."

"Hell no!"

She pressed the long part of the blade just hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. Shikamaru winced, the pain akin to a bad paper cut.

"Good, do that again," she said, pressing the blade to his clavicle. A line of blood appeared on the protruding bone and she moved it again. With each new cut, he hissed in pain and she thrust a little more.

He was soon covered in tiny bleeding scratches all over his neck and chest and stomach as Anzu continued to alternate between slicing him and impaling herself on his stiff erection.

She leaned in and brought the kunai to his cheek next, her sadistic smile growing as she pushed herself down on him particularly hard. He hissed in through his teeth as the cold kunai blade dug into his cheek and Anzu thrust her hips. He opened one eye and realized that her hand was very close. Seeing an opportunity, he leaned in and bit the hand that held the kunai.

She yelped and pulled her hand back, the kunai falling to the floor with a clang. "Fuck!"

The dangerous brunette inspected her hand for a moment before looking at Shikamaru again. "How dare you?!" she cried, clutching her hand. Her golden eyes were wide and crazy with hatred. "I'm going to punish you for that!"

She leaned over and picked up the kunai, immediately holding the point to his neck. Shikamaru gulped nervously, knowing that one slip of her wrist could puncture an artery.

"I'll make it so that when they find your body, you'll be so cut up that you're unrecognizable!" She roared, her cold eyes burning with rage.

Survival seemed a lot less likely now, and Shikamaru had begun to lose his patience. He was going to die here at her hand, so it was time to put up a good fight at least. He leaned forward and spit in her face. "You're pitiful."

Anzu angrily wiped her cheek, her face reddening. She looked surprised that he made such a bold move.

Scrambling to unstraddle him, she leaned close and held the kunai to his dick.

Shikamaru's breath hitched in his throat, his pulse racing at dizzying speeds.

"You'll bleed out quicker this way," she snarled. Moving it slightly, she put the point against his testicles. "Or maybe here... it will hurt either way and your balls will be so soft and easy to puncture."

This was it. This was the end.

Shikamaru widened his eyes in panic, careful to not make any sudden moves. He remembered what Rui told him about how the victims looked - with their genitals cut off - and shut his eyes tightly. This was really the end for him.

He braced himself and waited for the pain.

He could hear the splintering of wood and a muffled "chaaaa!"

Oh, Sakura... He wished he got to see her one last time. It was such a shame that things ended on such bad terms, but he hoped that she would find it in her heart to forgive him.

SLAM!

"What the...?" Anzu asked, whipping her head around. Her cheek was met with a fist and she was sent crashing into the wall.

Shikamaru opened his eyes. "Sakura?!" He cried, relief overwhelming him.

"What the hell happened here?" The pink-haired kunoichi cried, standing beside the bed. An overwhelming sense of relief washed over the battered and beaten leaf ninja, even though he was not in the clear yet.

"I'll tell you later. Right now you have to help me break out of these chains. They're made of a special metal that saps chakra," Shikamaru explained hurriedly, glancing at where Anzu had landed across the room. Sakura's punches were forceful, but the victim couldn't stay down forever. Some of the concrete wall had cracked and crumbled around Anzu's limp body.

"Hold still," Sakura commanded, inspecting the restraint around his wrist.

She sent a sharp pulse of chakra into the end of the chain where it was connected to the wooden headboard. Yanking hard, she pulled it off.

Anzu got up with a grunt, stumbling a little.

"Hurry!" Shikamaru cried.

"I'm doing the best I can!" she said pointedly, pulling the other arm free.

Shikamaru sat up and quickly pulled his boxers up from around his ankles while Sakura worked on his other chains.

Anzu charged over to the two leaf ninja. "Watch out!" Shikamaru warned, seeing the brunette fly in with her fist aimed at Sakura.

The pink-haired kunoichi yanked an ankle free and turned her head just in time to see the incoming attack. She quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fist.

She landed in a crouch several feet back, panting slightly. Anzu stood there, her fist extended. She turned and glared at Shikamaru, who was still bound to the bed by an ankle.

She quickly turned and charged at him, but a flash of pink and red slammed into her in midair, knocking her sideways. "Quick, Shikamaru, free yourself! I'll distract her," Sakura commanded.

The brunette growled and leaped for Shikamaru again, but Sakura grabbed her legs and flung her into the wall behind them.

Shikamaru leaned in, working at the chain with his now-free hands. Sakura broke him free by using chakra to separate the bed frame from the chains, but his chakra reserves were still depleted so he had to hope his strength would suffice.

He worked as quickly as he could, his shaky hands fumbling for a good hold on the base of the chain. The two women brawled beside him, the sound of their smacks and punches and the clang of weapons filling the air.

"How _dare you_ do this to him?"

"He did this to himself!"

_Come on, come on..._

Shikamaru yanked his ankle free at last and stood up next to the bed. He felt wobbly and unsteady on his feet, becoming lightheaded as he stood. He shook his head and looked at the two fighting ninja.

It was like everything was happening in slow motion.

He saw Anzu brandishing a sword. She pulled it back and prepared to strike.

Sakura's angry fist made contact with the brunette and she immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura's expression changed from determination to confusion to horror.

The real Anzu appeared behind Sakura, her eyes wide and crazed. Her sword was ready to thrust through Sakura's back.

"NO!" Shikamaru cried, using every ounce of strength he had to run forward and intercept the attack before it was too late.

Sakura braced herself as Anzu's clone disappeared.

"AAAUGH!" A choked cry from behind her was all that she could hear.

She turned and saw Shikamaru. Her eyes widened in alarm, the end of a sword sticking through his back. To his front stood Anzu, her sadistic delighted grin rising to a peak. She was holding the other end of the sword, driving it into Shikamaru's stomach.

"No!" Sakura cried, her stomach crawling into her throat. She felt sick.

"YES!" Anzu shouted, shoving the sword through Shikamaru even further. He groaned and coughed, blood spattering the floor.

"You bitch!" Sakura cried, enraged. She felt anger fueling her strength, the need to avenge Shikamaru strengthening her punch. Anzu unsheathed her sword from Shikamaru's abdomen and widened her eyes at Sakura's incoming attack.

The pink-haired kunoichi whipped her fist into the side of Anzu's temple and the brunette collapsed on the hard floor, head-first. She didn't get up or move.

Sakura panted and grabbed a kunai from her pouch, leaning down beside Anzu and slitting the artery in her neck. She watched as Anzu convulsed, the bright red blood spurting from her neck at every heartbeat.

She stood over her, her emerald eyes burning with an intense fire. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

Anzu was dead.

Shikamaru coughed again and Sakura heard the sound of blood splatter on the floor. She quickly turned back around and knelt beside the injured shinobi.

He was collapsed, the blood pooling around his alarmingly pale body.

"Shikamaru!" She cried, her hands turning him onto his back.

Shikamaru opened his brown eyes, his vision blurred. Pain seared through every inch of his body and he felt really strange. "Sakura..." He croaked. "I'm glad you made it."

"Don't talk," she said, her hands glowing a healing green. She held them over him, her eyes welling up with tears. He was hurt, bad.

"I... I'm sorry," he said, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The puddle of blood on the floor grew as his abdomen continued to spill out. "For... for everything."

Her hot tears stung the corners of her eyes and she attempted to wipe them away. "I said stop talking," she said, her voice cracking. "Save your breath."

He winced and coughed blood again, his face screwed up in pain.

"Dammit," Sakura swore, tears spilling over. "I don't have what I need with me to heal you. You're losing too much blood! Shikamaru, hang in there, I'm going to get you to a hospital."

His eyes were shut and his face relaxed. The last thing he saw was her beautiful face before his vision went black.

"Goodbye..."

"No, Shikamaru, stay with me!" She cried, grabbing his shoulders. She quickly placed two fingers on the side of his neck.

If there was a pulse there, she couldn't feel it with her hands shaking this much.

"No..." She choked, holding a hand over her mouth. "_No_!" Her entire body went numb, her throat feeling constricted. Her vision blurred in the haze of tears that clouded her eyes.

Teardrops fell on the leaf shinobi's wounded chest as Sakura leaned over him. "You _can't_ die, Shikamaru."

He said nothing and did nothing, and seeing him lay there so still, so hurt… so fragile looking… it was unreal. That wasn't happening, it just _couldn't_ be. He shouldn't have died this quickly!

A violent sob tore through her throat and hot tears streamed down her face. It was an ugly cry but she didn't care; there was no one around to see it.

"This is all my fault," she choked, leaning on her fallen teammate. "I shouldn't have left you to do this alone. I was selfish and blind and now it's too late."

Sobs shook her whole body, her nose and tears streaming. "This can't be happening now. You saved my life and I can't even save yours," she cried into his chest. "What kind of medical ninja am I? What kind of friend am I?!"

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, not caring what bodily fluids he spilled on her. "You did so much for me," she whispered through the tears, placing her fingers against his cheek. She rubbed his cheek softly, lovingly. "You did everything you could to love me and I never even thanked you for it. I never even got to love you back."

He was still.

Another sob tore through Sakura's raw throat, her head hurting from the crying. Heavy tears spilled from her reddened eyes as her head fell onto his chest. They were lying together as they had done the last night in the hotel, only this time Sakura was the one who did the loving.

She laid there by his side, holding him tightly. She cried loudly, not caring who heard or how pathetic she sounded.

Her worst fear had been realized.

* * *

**I know that's a super dark way to end the chapter, so don't hate me! There will be two (?) more chapters so pleeeease stay tuned! -Gallade**

**Also, shout-out to the anonymous review I received complaining about the bikini contest breast sizes! If that tiny little insignificant detail is your biggest concern, I must be doing an okay job with the parts of this fic that actually matter. **

**Much love to you all**


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